
ELEMENTARY 


OFTHE 

UNITED 


MORRIS 





COPYRIGHT DEPOSn'. 




AN ELEMENTARY HISTORY 


OF THE 


UNITED STATES. 



AN 


ELEMENTARY HISTORY 


OF THE 

United State 


BY 

CHARLES MORRIS, 

h 

AUTHOR OF “ HALF-HOURS WITH AMERICAN HISTORY,” “THE ARYAN RACE, 
“civilization: a historical review of ITS ELEMENTS*” ETC. 


PENNSYLVANIA EDITION. 


> ) 



) 


) 


PHILADELPHIA : 

J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY. 


I 


UwiTMYol CONGRESS 
Two Coolet Received 

SfiP 24 »90r 

Ooovnrht Entry 
0LA3S XXC.| No. 
COPY a 


Copyright, 1890, by J. B. Lippincott ComI^any. 


Copyright, 1898, by J. B. Lippincott Company. 


Copyright, 1900, by J. B. Lippincott Company, 


Copyright 1907, by J. B. Lippincott Company. 



t 

C 

( 

i 



PREFACE. 


V 


Histories of the United States of America have been 
many times written, and in many ways ; so often, indeed, 
that some might deem there was nothing more to say, or 
no new way of saying it. Yet new histories are of yearly 
appearance, and the world does not seem tired of welcom- 
ing them. These are usually written for the old ; but why 
not new histories for the young, .who can certainly find no 
more profitable reading than the story of the origin and 
development of their own country ? 

No romance, in fact, can have more of interest and 
adventure, heroic efforts and noble deeds, than may be 
found in the history of the discovery and settlement of 
the American continent, and the birth and growth of the 
great republic of the United States. In the whole history 
of mankind there is little to surpass it in interest, and noth- 
ing in importance. To the youthful American, indeed, it 
is indispensable, and whatever else he may learn, a full and 
accurate acquaintance with the story of his own land should 
stand first in his course of study, as an absolutely requisite 
preliminary to the making of an American citizen. 

This story is too near us to appeal to our minds with that 

glamour of romance which often clings to the annals of 

5 


6 


PREFA CE. 


more remote periods. To many it seems devoid of the 
interest of the era of chivalry, the charm of knightly deeds 
and strange adventure, and takes form in their minds in- 
stead as a detail of prosy incidents and matter-of-fact events. 
Yet such a conception does great injustice to the true char- 
acter of American history, and to the numerous instances 
of knightly valor and chivalrous honor which give all the 
interest of romance to its pages. The deeds of ou> pioneers 
have never been surpassed in daring and the spirit of adven- 
ture, the progress of discovery and settlement iir. this country 
is a story replete with attractiveness, while there is nothing 
more marvellous in fiction than the extraordinary progress 
of civilization in the region of the United States during the 
few centuries since settlement was first made upon its shores. 

History, however, in the modern sense of the word, 
covers a broader space than the tale of war and adventure, 
daring migration and political progress. There is the story 
of the people as well as of their leaders to tell, the home 
life of the masses, the record of manners and customs, 
invention, and peaceful development in the arts and sciences. 
Thus we are not alone concerned with war and the rumors 
of war, but also with peace and the triumphs of peace ; not 
Mone with political development, the formation of govern- 
ments, the struggles of patriotism, and the growth of repub- 
licanism, but also with the details of every-day life, the 
description of those powerful influences which have made not 
only America but the Americans, and to which the citizens 
of our country owe that spirit of liberty and restless energy 


PREFACE. 


7 


which have made them the envy of the oppressed masses 
of Europe, and their country the modern wonder of the 
world.” This inner story of the American people we have 
endeavored to set forth in a series of chapters descriptive of 
city and country life at various periods of our colonial and 
national history, each a picture of the people of America as 
they appeared at the various periods indicated. The progress 
of invention, striking developments of mechanical ability, 
religious conditions, and all that makes up the multiform 
life of a great people, have been described as fully as the 
space at command permitted, with the design of making at 
once a history of the American nation and of the American 
people, adapted in style and language to the use of the 
young. As such it is oftered to the school public of the 
United States, with the hope that it may prove a welcome 
addition to our historical literature. 


C. M. 








CONTENTS 


PART I.' 

THE EKA OF DISCOVERY. 

SECTION PAGE 

I. — The Voyage of Columbus 11 

II. — Explorations and Invasions 18 

III. — French and English Settlements 25 

IV. — The Indians 32 

Questions for Examination 38 

PART II. 

THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 

I. — Virginia 39 

II. — The Pilgrims and the Puritans 45 

III. — Indian Wars of New England 53 

IV. — Manners and Customs of the Puritans 57 

V. — New York 62 

VI.— Life in New Y^ork 66 

VII. — Maryland 69 

VIII. — Pennsylvania 70 

IX. — Life in Pennsylvania 74 

X. — The Carolinas 78 

XI. — Life in Virginia and Carolina 80 

XII. — Georgia ... 85 

XIII. — Condition of the Colonies 90 

Questions for Examination 93 

PART III. 

THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 

1. — The French in America 97 

II. — George Washington 101 

III. — The War in the North 107 

Questions for Examination 113 


9 


10 


CONTENTS. 


PART IV. 

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

SECTION PAGE 

I. — The Tyranny of England . 115 

II. — The Work of the Minute-Men 121 

III. — The War for Independence 181. 

IV. — The People and the Country 139 

Questions for Examination 146 

PART V. 

THE FIRST HALF-CENTURY OF THE REPUBLIC, 

I. — The 3Iaking of the G-overnment 149 

II. — The Second War with Great Britain . 155 

III. — Events after the War 162 

IV. — The Progress of the Country 166 

Questions for Examination 174 

PART VI. 

TWENTY YEARS OF PROGRESS. 

I. — The Tariff Troubles and the Panic 176 

II. — The War with Mexico 179 

III. — The Work of the People 183 

Questions for Examination 192 

PART VII. 

THE ERA OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

I. — The Slavery Controversy 194 

II. — From Secession to Emancipation 198 

III.— The Final Years of the VVar 207 

Questions for Examination 214 

PART VIII. 

THE ERA OF PEACE AND PROGRESS. 

I. — Events after the War 217 

II. — Recent Progress in America 239 

Questions for Examination 252 


AN ELEMENTARY HISTORY 


OF THE 

UNITED STATES. 


PART I. 

THE ERA OF DISCOVERY. 

L— THE VOYAGE OF COLUMBUS. 

Pour Hundred Years ag*o. — The world had grown old, 
very old, before America was discovered. Great empires had 
risen in Europe and Asia, and passed away ; many millions 
of men had lived and died ; but not half the earth was 
known. Men did not even know its shape. Most persons 
thought that the earth was flat, and that the ocean every- 
where spread around the land. Sailors were afraid to go 
far out to sea, and most of them kept in sight of land, for 
no one knew what dangers might lie out on the open ocean, 
where man had never been. Many thought that a ship 
which sailed far out on the ocean would And itself gliding 
down a hill of waters, up which it could never climb again. 
Others believed that there was a region of fogs and mists, in 
which a ship, once lost, would never And its way out. Most 
of the learned men of the time refused to believe that a 
vessel could pass round the earth and return to its starting- 
point. 

The Mariner’s Compass, — Before this time an important 

11 


12 


THE ERA OF DISCOVERY. 


discovery was made. A stone was found which had strange 
properties. It was what is now known as the loadstone, or 
natural magnet, and which' has tlie power of attracting iron, 
and of pointing north and south. A steel needle rubbed on 
it acquires the same properties. Hung up by its centre, 
one end of the needle points towards the north. This 
was a discovery of the utmost importance to seamen. They 
can now, even though they are thousands of miles from 
land, tell by day or night in what direction they are sailing. 
Few things have been more useful to mankind than this 
little magnetic needle, known as the marinefs compass. 

Marco Polo. — At the time of which we are speaking — the 
latter part of the fifteenth century — there was the greatest 

desire to discover new coun- 
tries. Travellers had been to 
far-otf lands, and had come 
back with strange stories, 
which filled others with the 
love of adventure and dis- 
covery. One traveller, a Vene- 
tian named Marco Polo, had 
been as far as China and 
Japan, and brought bacl^ 



A SHIP OF THE NORTHMEN. 


ex- 
citing accounts of the riches 


and wonders of those distant lands. The ships of the Portu- 
guese had sailed down the coast of Africa as far as the Cape 
of Good Hope. The bold sailors of Norway and Denmark 
had crossed the cold northern seas to Iceland and Green- 


land, and it is now thought that they had reached the shores 
of the American continent at a point they called Vineland. 

Christopher Columbus. — Among the many persons who 
wished to go on voyages of discovery was one whose name 
is known to us all, and will be as long as America existSr 


THE VOYAGE OF COLUMBUS. 


13 


He was born at Genoa, in Italy, about the year 1435, and 
was named Christopher Columbus. His father was a cloth 
weaver; but the people of Genoa were great sailors, and 
Columbus was sent to sea when he was but fourteen years 
old, and became a very skilful sailor. 

At that time the only region of the world that was w^ll 
known was W estern Europe and the parts of Africa and Asia 
which border on the Mediterranean Sea. Of the rest of the 
world very little was known. India and China were said to 
be rich and populous countries, and their silks and jewels and 
spices were brought to Europe by caravans at great expense. 
Columbus thought that these countries could be reached 
in an easier way. He believed that the earth was round, 
that the ocean must extend from the shores of Europe to 
the shores of Asia, and that if he sailed 
to the west across this ocean he would 
be sure to reach those distant lands. 

He did not know how far it was round 
the earth, but he was sure that land 
lay beyond the ocean. 

It was not easy to make men believe 
this. For eighteen long years Colum- 
bus tried in vain to get the Kings of 
Spain and Portugal to aid him in his 
plan. He grew sick at heart with delay 
and disappointment. At last the Queen of Spain said that 
he should have the ships and men he asked for. If money 
could not be had she would lend her jewels to pay for them. 
And thus it was that Columbus got his ships. Three small 
vessels were given him, — we call them ships, but they were 
little larger than the sloops and yachts which we may see 
every day moving up and down our large rivers. Two of 
them, the Pinta and the Kina, had no decks except at the 



COLl’MBUb. 


14 


THE ERA OF DISCOVERY. 


prow and stern. Only one of them had a complete deck, tlie 
Santa Maria, commanded by Columbus himself. This ves- 
sel was ninety feet long, and had a crew of sixty-six sailors. 

It seems strange to us that it took so many years to 
induce the rulers of a great kingdom to furnish such ships 
for a voyage across the ocean and the discovery of a new 
world. Many river merchants to-day could fit out a much 
better expedition at a few days’ notice. Nothing could 
show more clearly how the world has grown in riches and 
enterprise during the last four hundred years. 

Columbus had almost as much trouble to get his sailors 
as his ships. Men w^ere afraid to go with him. Many of 
those who sailed with him w^ere forced to do so by order of 
the king, and went on board his ships full of fear. There 
were one hundred and twenty persons in all in the expedh 
tion which set sail from the port of Palos, in Spain, on the. 
3d of August, 1492, one of the days to be remembered in 
the history of the world. 

The Voyage of Discovery. — Let us stop here and think 
of the task before our bold mariner. He had set sail on 
the most important voyage that had ever been undertaken 
in the history of mankind. Day by day his ships left the 
knowm w^orld farther behind them. Day by day new 
wonders and new terrors rose before them. They sailed 
far into that vast ocean upon which no man had ever before 
ventured far from land. Their fears increased as they went 
onward. The needle of the compass no longer pointed 
exactly north. The winds blew them steadily westw^ard; 
but these same wfinds might hinder them from ever coming 
back. They were scared by the distance they had gone, 
though Columbus was wise enough not to let them know 
how far this w^as. 

The men demanded to be taken back ; they almost broke 


THE VOYAGE OF COLUMBUS. 


15 


into open mutiny, and some of them talked of throwing 
Columbus overboard and going back without him. Yet he 
was not to be turned from his purpose. He had set sail for 
India, and he was determined to go on. He was still sure 
that land lay beyond the seas, and that in time they would 
reach it. 

Approach to Land. — Two months of this wonderful voy- 
age passed away. Then the hearts of the sailors grew glad 
as their eyes beheld welcome signs. Land birds were seen 
flying about the ships. One of the men picked up out of 
the water a branch of a tree, on which there were fresh red 



THE LANDING OF COLUMBUS. 


berries. A piece of carved wood floated past them, and also 
some drifting sea-weed, with live crabs clinging to it. Hope 
now took the place of fear ; all eyes looked far ahead in 
search of land. 

At last it came. During the night before the 12th of 
October a distant light was seen shining across the waters. 





16 


THE ERA OF DISCOVERY. 


Wlien morning came Columbus, from the deck of his little 
ship, gazed with joy and triumph on the green shores of the 
land he had so long hoped to see. There it lay before him, 
bright and beautiful, — a sunny island, covered with forest 
trees, — a scene of beauty on which the eyes of civilized man 
had never before grazed. 

O 

The vovage was over; the victorv was gained. The 
greatest discovery in human history had been made. Yet 
he who made it never knew how great his work had been. 
To the day of his death Columbus believed that it was the 
coast of India he had reached, and he gave the name of 
Indians to the strange, red-skinned natives who crowded out 
of the woods to gaze with wonder on his vessels. 

It was in this way that the natives of America came to 
he called Indians, after a country thousands of miles away. 
Little did Columbus dream of the great continent of America, 
with its plains and mountains, its lakes and forests, peopled 
then only by savages, but which was in time to become the 
seat of one of the greatest and noblest of nations. 

The Landing* of Columbus. — At the break of day, with 
waving banners and ringing music, Columbus was rowed 
to the shore. He was richly dressed in scarlet, and bore 
in his hand the great banner of Spain, with its rich hues 
of red and gold. The captains of the other vessels bore 
the banner designed by Columbus himself, in the centre 
of which was a green cross. On reaching the shore the 
admiral kneeled and kissed the ground ; then rising, he 
drew his sword, and declared that the island which he 
had discovered belonged to the King and Queen of Spain. 
The natives looked on in wonder and admiration. They 
did not dream of the misery all this meant for them. 

The poor natives supposed that the white men had come 
trom heaven. Columbus gave them glass beads, and in 


THE VOYAGE OF COLUMBUS. 


17 


return they gave what they had, — parrots and balls of cotton. 
They wore some ornaments made of gold, and Columbus 
asked them by signs where gold was to be found. They 
pointed to the south. The sailors returned to their ships 
and sailed south among the beautiful islands of those seas 
until they reached the large island now known as Hayti. 
Columbus named it Hispaniola. From there they sailed 
back to Spain. 

The Reception in Spain. — The excitement in Spain was 
very great when Columbus and his companions returned 
with their remarkable story. Men heard with wonder of 
lands beyond the seas, inhabited by a race of red-skinned 
savages, and rich beyond their dreams. It was said that the 
sands of every river shone with grains of gold, that the 
meanest Indians wore ornaments of gold and jewels, and 
that the walls of the houses glittered with pearls. None 
of these stories were too wild for men to believe, and 
many grew eager to visit this New World of wealth and 
splendor. 

Columbus and his men entered the streets of Barcelona 
in a grand procession to meet the King and Queen of Spain. 
Tlie red Indians, with their decorations of tropical feathers 
and golden ornaments, were looked upon with wonder. 
The bright- winged birds, the strange-shaped parrots, the 
rare plants and fruits, the unknown fabrics which were dis- 
played in the procession, - all excited admiration. Columbus 
rode triumphantly onward, in rich attire, surrounded by a 
brilliant cavalcade of Spanish nobles, to receive the high 
honors bestowed upon him by the king and queen. Europe 
had never seen a procession like this, for never before had 
the wonders of a new world been shown to the eyes of the 
Old World, as Europe was afterwards called. 

Yet this was almost the last happy moment in the life of 

2 


18 


THE ERA OF DISCOVERY. 


the great discoverer. The remainder of his life was saddened 
by the injustice of men and the ingratitude of his sovereigns. 
He made three other voyages to America, and in the third 
vovao^e discovered the main-land of South America, near the 
mouth of the Orinoco River. From one of his voyages he 
was sent home in chains by his enemies. He had not even 
the honor of giving his name to the continent he had dis- 
covered. The name of America was taken from Ameriw 

O 

Vespucci, Avhose account of the Xew World was the first to 
be printed. Columbus died in 1506, of a disease brought on 
by his hardships, troubles, and sufferings, a victim of the 
ingratitude of Spain. He gave orders that the chains which 
had been so shamefully fastened on his limbs should be 
buried in the grave with him. 


II.— EXPLOKATIONS AND INVASIONS. 

The discovery of America by Columbus was the greatest 
event that had taken place for hundreds of years, if such 
a discovery should be made in our days, we may be sure that 
it would not be long before many vessels would be off to the 
new land. But in those days men were poor and news 
spread slowly. Ships were few and small, and kings and 
people had not much money. Most of what they had was 
spent in Avars. Spain sent vessels from time to time to the 
rich islands which Columbus had discovered, but the other 
nations Avere very sIoav to send out ships. 

The Cabots. — England Avas the first to folloAV Spain. The 
town of Bristol, in England, AA^as then a great shipping port. 
There lived in this toAvn a merchant named John Cabot, 
who Avas born at Venice. This man Avished to go on a Amy- 
age of discovery, and got permission from the king, Henry 
VU., to do so. He fitted up a ship, took Avith him his son, 


EXPLORATiuiSS AND INVASIONS. 


19 


and sailed across the ocean until he reached the frozen coast 
of the far north. This was in 1497. 

Cabot’s papers and maps are lost, and all we know of his 
voyage is that he found the country cold and barren, and saw 
a great many white hears. It is said that after his return 
he was called The Great Admiral,” and went about dressed 
in rich clothing and followed by crowds of people. 

The next year his son, Sebastian Cabot, sailed to America. 
He also reached land in the north, but he kept on southward 
until he came to the coast of Virginia or Carolina. Like 
his father, he was received with honor on his return. Men 
called him The Great Seaman,” and Edward VI. gave him 
a pension. He lived to be very old, but the time and place 
of his death are unknown. Thus did England honor the 
men who discovered a continent. 

The Fishermen. — ^7ot long after this the daring fishermen 
of Europe began to make voyages across the ocean. Their 
fishing vessels reached Newfoundland and went on as far 
as Nova Scotia. One of these men, named John Denys, 
sailed up the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1506. But they were 
after fish, not honor, and did not trouble themselves to 
report discoveries. 

Verrazzano. — France did not send an expedition to the 
New World till 1524. Then the thought came to Francis I., 
the king, that he had as much right as Spain to the wealth of 
these distant lands. So he had a ship made ready, and gave 
the command of it to an Italian seaman named Verrazzano, 
who sailed awav to the north as far as Nova Scotia. He 
entered the harbor of Newport, Bhode Island, where he found 
grape-vines growing, and began to trade with the Indians. 

But the red men Avere afraid of their visitors, and would not 
let them land. They let down their goods to the boats with 
ropes from the tops of steep rocks. We do not know what 


20 


THE ERA OF DISCOVERY. 


these goods were, but they would take nothing in exchange 
but knives, fish-hooks, and tools for cutting. These savages 
seemed to know well what would be of use to them. 

J^ow we may know what gave Spain, England, and France 
the claim to these new lands. They sent ships across the 
ocean and took a look at them from the sea, and then said 
that all the land they had seen belonged to them. As for 
the Indians, no one thought that they had any claim to the 
country. They were looked on as little better than so many 
flies, that might be brushed aside by any one that was strong 
enough to do it. 

Cartier’s Voyages. — Francis I. was busy in wars with his 
neighbors, and did not send out any more ships for ten 
years. Then two ships set sail under a captain named 
Jacques Cartier. These ships entered the Gulf of St. Law- 
rence, where Cartier landed and set up a cross, with the 
king’s coat of arms fastened to it. This was done to claim 
the country for the King of France. 

Cartier made two more voyages, 
and sailed up the great St. Lawrence 
River as far as where the city of 
Montreal now stands. He called 
the country Canada from the Indian 
word Kannatha,” which means vil- 
lage, but which he thought was the 
Indian name for the whole country. 

Ponce de Leon. — While the Eng- 
lish and French were making these 
discoveries the Spaniards were not 
idle. They were sending ships from Spain and from the W est 
Indies, and many discoveries and settlements were made. 
One adventurer, named Ponce de Leon, set out in 1512 on 
a romantic voyage. He had heard of a magical fountain 



PONCE DE LEON. 


EXPLORATIONS AND INVASIONS. 


21 


which would bring back youth to every man who bathed in 
its waters. As he was growing old, he was eager to find 
this wonderful fountain, that he might bathe in it and be 
young again. In his search for it he found a new coun- 
try, which he called Florida. But he did not discover the 
fountain, and got death instead of life from his eflbrt. 

Balboa. — Another Spaniard, named Balboa, crossed the 
isthmus which connects North and South America, and 



AN AZTEC TEMPLE. 


looked with wonder on the waters of that great -Pacific 
Ocean which no white man’s eyes had ever seen before. He 
had made a long and dangerous journey over mountains and 
through fierce tribes of Indians, but he was paid for all his 
trouble when he saw, from the summit of a lofty hill, the 
waters of that great ocean, brightly shining in the rays of 
the sun. Never had man made a more glorious discovery, 
or human eyes gazed on a nobler sight. 

Three years after the death of Balboa, a Spanish fleet, 
under Fernando Magellan, sailed round South America, 


22 


THE ERA OF DISCOVERY, 


through the strait that bears his name, and came out on 
the waters of this great ocean. Magellan’s ships were the 
first that ever sailed round the globe, and proved in this 
way that the earth is round. 

Before many years had' passed the Spaniards did some 
bold and marvellous deeds on the American continent. One 
captain, named Cortez, with a few hundred men, conquered 
the great empire of Mexico ; and another, named Pizarro, 
did the same in the rich kingdom of Peru. They sent to 
Spain great quantities of gold and silver. But the Indians 
were treated by them with much cruelty, and millions of 
the red men died of hardship before the Spaniards had been 
many years in their land. 

Another Spaniard, named Narvaez, landed in Florida in 
1528, and went far to the north. He and his comrades 
were in search of gold ; but instead of rich cities, like those 
of Mexico, they found only swamps and forests and fighting 
Indians, and of three hundred only four came back alive. 

Hernando de Soto. — There is one more Spaniard about 

whom we must speak, for he was the 
first white man whose eyes fell upon 
the great Mississippi River, and his 
adventures were very interesting. 
While the other nations of Europe 
were sending ships to look at the 
coast of the New World, Hernando 
de Soto was wandering far through 

o o 

its interior and making important 
discoveries. 

In 1539, De Soto landed in Florida 
with an army of about six hundred men, and with plenty 
of arms and provisions. He was a soldier who had been 
in Peru with Pizarro, and he wished to conquer Florida 



DE SOTO. 


EXPLORATIOm AND INVASIONS. 


23 


as Pizarro had conquered Peru. The whole country to the 
far west was then called Florida, and De Soto expected to 
find there great cities and much gold and silver, such as 
had been found in Peru and Mexico. He did not dream 
that he would find only tribes of poor savages, with no treas- 
ures of any value to him, and that he would never leave 
their country alive. 

De Soto’s Expedition. — The overland march of the Span- 
iards was a long and tiresome one. The men soon wanted 
to go back, but De Soto would not listen to them. From 
time to time the Indians gave him pearls, or ornaments of 
gold, and this kept him full of hope. He felt sure there 
must be rich nations ahead, and he kept marching on and 
on, seeking the gold which he never found. 

The Indians were angry at seeing these strangers in their 
country, and at the harm done them by some of the Span- 
iards, and many fierce battles took place. The Spaniards 
w^ere always victorious, but numbers of them w^ere killed, 
and they suffered much from the want of food. 

De Soto led his army along the coast lands of the Gulf 
of Mexico, through tribe after tribe of Indians. These men 
in iron armor, with their prancing horses and shining arms, 
their banners and music and waving plumes, must have 
been a strange vision to the ignorant savages. But the 
natives soon found that those whom they at first took to be 
gods were only men, and very cruel men, and they fought 
them at every step. 

The Mississippi. — Yet De Soto kept on. In time he 
reached a point near where the city of Memphis now stands. 
Here, to his delight, he saw before him a mighty river, the 
great stream now known as the Mississippi. It was with 
proud eyes that the Spaniards gazed on this noble stream, 
which they were the first white men to behold. 


24 


THE ERA OF LISCOVERY. 


They soon had to cross this river to escape the Indians, 
and they roamed for many miles through the country on the 
other side. The Indians here wished to be friendly^ but the 
Spaniards treated them badly, and they became angry and 
tried to kill the whites. 

For three years De Soto and his men had been in the 
wilds of America, and had found nothing but hard mai ching, 
fighting, and the pangs of hunger. At length they decided 
to return to their own country. But the bold leader d’d not 
live to see his native land again. Worn out with hi 5 toil, 
he died on the banks of the great river he had discovered, 
and was buried in its waters to save his body from the fury 
of the Indians. He was sunk in the waves at dead of night, 
and his followers -began to build themselves boats, for they 
did not dare to try to return by land. 

When their boats were ready they launched them on the 
stream, and for seventeen davs they floated down its waters. 
For fifty days more they sailed about in the Gulf of Mexico, 
until they reached a small Spanish settlement, from which 
they were sent to the island of Cuba. 

They had gone out strong in number and hope and 
splendid in dress and arms. They came back a few ragged 
and half-starved men, without gold to show, and with only 
battles and sufferings to tell of. And thus ended one of the 
greatest and proudest of the Spanish expeditions to America. 

Sir Francis Drake. — Now that we have said so much about 
the Spanish explorers, we must say something about a great 
English sailor, named Sir Francis Drake, who for nearly 
thirty years spent his life in fighting with the Spaniards on 
both sides of the ocean. Much of this was in the West 
Indies, and in 1572 he crossed the Isthmus of Darien, as 
Balboa had done many years before, and gazed on the 
waters of the great Pacific Ocean. 


FRENCH AND ENGLISH SETTLEMENTS. 


25 


Drake in the Pacific. — The bold sailor made up his mind 
to sail in an English ship on that vast sea, and he came 
thither in 1578, sailing up the coast of Chili and Peru, and 
winning great treasure from the Spanish ships and settle- 
ments. He went as far north as the coast of Oregon, and 
landed at Drake’s Bay, north of San Francisco, where he 
claimed the country for the king of England and named it 
New Albion. 

III.-~FKENCH AND ENGLISH SETTLEMENTS. 

Many years passed away before any white men came to 
live in the coantry which is now known as the United 
States. The Spaniards had many towns and rich colonies 
in the West Indies, in Mexico, and in South America, but 
the northern country was still left to the Indians. No one 
cared to settle on its shores. No gold or silver had been 
found there, and people in those days seemed to think there 
was nothing else worth having. Since then we have learned 
that the soil of the United States is far more valuable than 
all the gold and silver which the Spaniards found in 
America. 

Ribault’s Colony. — It was not till 1562 that any settlers 
came. Then some Frenchmen crossed the ocean arid built a 
fort at Port lioyal, in South Carolina. They named the 
country Carolina, after Charles IX., the King of France. 
These men were known as Huguenots, or people of the 
Protestant religion, while the religion of France was the 
Catholic. They had left their country because they were 
badly treated on account of their religious belief. 

Jean Ribault, who brought them, soon went back to 
France. After he left the colony did not get on well. 
Most of the men were lazy and would not work, and the 
Indians soon refused to give them food. Many of them 


26 


THE ERA OF DISCOVERY 


died, and those who remained alive built a rude sort of ves- 
sel and sailed away home. 

The Florida Colony. — Two years afterwards another party 
of Frenchmen came to America and built a fort near the 
mouth of the St. John’s River, in Florida. This colony 
was as idle as the other. The men spent their time in hunt- 
ing for gold and lighting the Indians. They would not 
take the trouble to raise food from the earth, and they suf- 
fered from hunger till vessels came with food from France. 
Some of them turned pirates, and sailed away to rob the 
Spanish settlements. 

St. Augustine. — The Spaniards were very angry when 
they learned that the French had settled in Florida. They 
claimed this country as their own, and sent out a party to 
take possession and to drive out the French. This party 
was led bv a man named Menendez, who laid out a town 
which he called St. Augustine. It is of interest to remem- 
ber that this town, laid out in 1565, is the oldest town in 
the United States. The ruins of the old Spanish buildings 
may still be seen there. The next oldest is Santa Fe in 
New Mexico. 

The Massacre. — And now began those terrible wars of 
white men which have shed so much blood on the soil of 
this land. Up to that time the fighting had all been with 
the Indians, but now the whites began the dreadful work 
of killina: one another. Menendez led his men through the 
woods and sw^amps of Florida to the French settlement. 
There they took Fort Carolina — the French fort — by sur- 
prise, and killed all the people ' they found in it, except a 
few who escaped to the woods. 

The Spaniards did a more cruel deed than this. A part 
of the French had gone to attack St. Augustine, but their 
vessel was wrecked on the coast, and the men barely saved 


FRENCH AND ENGLISH SETTLEMENTS. 


27 


their lives. They wandered half starved through the woods 
till they found themselves in sight of St. Augustine. 

Menendez told them that if they would come over the 
river into the town no harm should be done to them. But 
as fast as they came over he had their arms tied behind 
them, and he then set his soldiers on them and murdered 
them all. Four hundred men were slain in that awful 
massacre. 

Menendez had these words placed on the trees near by : 

I do this not as to Frenchmen, but as to Lutherans.’’ It 
was religious hatred that made him do this cruel deed. 

The Massacre reveng*ed. — When the news of this deed 
of bloodshed came to France the people were full of anger. 
One soldier, named Dominique de Gourgues, resolved to be 
revenged. He sailed for Florida with three small ships, and 
took Fort Carolina by surprise, as the Spaniards had before 
taken it from the French. There were more than three 
hundred men in it, most of whom were killed. Only sixty 
were taken prisoners. 

De Gourgues wrote the following words, and placed them 
where all could see : “ I do this not to Spaniards, but to 
traitors, thieves, and murderers.” Then he hanged all his 
prisoners, destroyed the fort, and sailed back to France. 
The murder of the Protestants had been terribly revenged. 

Sir Humphrey Gilbert. — The English were the next peo- 
ple who tried to make settlements in America. Sir Hum- 
phrey Gilbert came across the ocean in 1583 to form a 
colony. But a storm arose, and the leader and his vessel, 
with all on board, went to the bottom. One of his ships 
reached England with the news of his loss. 

Sir Walter Raleigh. — The next year a young man named 
Walter Raleigh, half-brother to Gilbert, sent an expedition 
to the New World, and in 1585 he sent seven ships with 


28 


THE ERA OF DISCOVERY. 


a hundred persons on board to make a settlement on 

Koanoke Island, on the coast of North 
Carolina. 

These people soon got into trouble 
with the Indians, and all returned to 
England in an English vessel that 
happened to stop at the island. They 
took with them the first tobacco that 
was ever seen in Europe. Sir Walter 
Raleigh is said to have been the first 
man who smoked tobacco in Europe. 
The story is told that a servant who 
came into his room while he was smoking thought that he 
was in flames, and threw a mug of beer in his face to put 
out the fire. 

The Lost Colony. — The next summer Raleigh sent another 
colony to Roanoke Island. A child, named Virginia Dare, 
was born in this colony, — the first English child born in 
America. 

There was war then between England and Spain, and it 
was three j^ears before another vessel could be sent across 
the ocean. When it got to Roanoke Island the colony was 
gone. Not a man, woman, or child could be found. There 
were some letters cut in the bark of a tree, and that was 
all that was left to show that white men had ever been 
there. 

Raleigh sent vessel after vessel to search for his lost col* 
ony, but no trace of it could ever be found. What became 
of the colonists no one will ever know. If the Indians knew 
they would not tell, and the secret died with them. 

Other Expeditions. — No other efforts were made to place 
colonies in the region of the United States till after the year 
1600, more than a century after the discovery by Columbus. 



RALEIGH. 



FRENCH AND ENGLISH SETTLEMENTS. 


29 


One captain, named Bartholomew Gosnold, brought out a 
colony to America in 1602 ; but he took it back again, 
because he was short of food and the men feared they might 
starve. 

The French were more successful than the English. In 
1604, Poutrincourt, a Frenchman, planted a colony in 
Hova Scotia at a place which he called Port Royal. This 
place, which, under the name of Annapolis, became famous 
in after years, is on the coast of the Bay of Fundy. It was 
the first permanent French colony in America. 

Champlain in America. — Before speaking of the English 
and Dutch colonies that were formed soon afterwards we 
must say something about the doings of a Frenchman, 
named Samuel de Champlain, who was the first white man 
that had much to do with the Indians of the north. 

He went up the St. Lawrence River in 1603, and came 
again in 1608, when he founded the city of Quebec. This old 
city still stands on the rocky hill where he placed it. It is a 
quaint, old-fashioned place, with many ancient houses. 

Champlain was a bold and active man and very fond of 
travel and adventure. He had the hope that he might find 
a way across the country by the rivers and lakes, and so 
reach China. But there were savage Indians in his way. 
In what we know as the State of Hew York were the Iroquois 
tribes of Indians, or the “ Five Hations’’ as they are usually 
called. Farther north were the Hurons and other tribes of 
the St. Lawrence, who were enemies of the Iroquois. 

The First Indian Battle. — Champlain and some com- 
panions went in boats up the St. Lawrence and the St. John 
Rivers, while the Hurons and other tribes followed in their 
canoes. They were going to light with their enemies, the 
Iroquois, and the French ho.d promised to help them. It 
was not long before the boats came out on a beautiful lake 


30 


THE ERA OF DISCOVERY, 



two white men who were with him stood forward and tired 
their muskets they were tilled with terror. They had never 
seen anything of the kind betore. The noise seemed to 
them like thunder. Their ehiets began to fall dead, with 
nothing to sho^v what had killed them. 

With a yell of fear the Indians fled. They left everything 
in their fright. Some ot them were killed; more were 
taken prisoners. These the Hurous took back with them to 


which the eyes of white men had never seen before. It is 
called Lake Champlain, after its discoverer. 

On the shores of this lake they met the Iroquois, and a 
fierce battle began, — the first battle with the Indians in the 
northern part of the New World. The Iroquois were brave 
warriors and fought boldly, but when Champlain and tlie 


BATTLE BETWEEN THE FRENCH AND INDIANS. 



FRENCH AND ENGLISH SETTLEMENTS. 


31 


torture and burn at the stake, which was their cruel way of 
treating captives taken in war. 

Champlain had many other adventures among the Indians. 
In 1614 he went south with a ^var party of Hurons, and 
made an attack on a fort of the Iroquois. The fight was a 
hard one, but the Hurons were driven off, and Champlain 
was twice wounded. 

The Reveng*e of the Iroquois. — The Iroquois took a terri- 
ble revenge on their enemies. Champlain, whom they were 
afraid of, died in 1635. In 1648 they made an attack on the 
French in Canada, and killed a great many of them. The 
tribe of the Hurons was broken up and destroyed. For 
many years afterwards the Iroquois were lords of that region 
and kept the French shut up in their forts. They had ceased 
to fear the fire-arms of the whites. 

The Iroquois consisted of five tribes, the Mohawks, the 
Oneidas, the Onondagas, the Cayugas, and the Senecas. 
Afterwards another tribe, the Tuscaroras, joined them, and 
they became known as the Six I^ations.’^ They gave much 
trouble to the whites in later years. 

Henry Hudson. — There was one other voyage of which 
we must speak. This was made by the Dutch, who then 
were a very active people, and thought they ought to have 
a share in the New AVorld. So they sent across the ocean a 
vessel which had the odd name of the Half Moon. Its cap- 
tain was Henry Hudson, an Englishman. This was in the 
year 1609. 

The Half Moon sailed along the coast until it reached 
New York Bay. Then it went up this bay until it came 
into the great river which has ever since been known as 
Hudson River. Here some of the Indian chiefs came on 
board and received a fatal present from the hands of the cap- 
tain. We have told how the tobacco of the Indians was taken 


32 


THE ERA OF DISCOVERY. 


to Europe. In return the white men brought brandy to the 
Indians. Hudson gave the chiefs some of this strong liquor 
to drink, and they became intoxicated. This was probably 
the first knowledge the Indians had of that poison which 

has since killed more of 
them than the rifle. 

The Half Moon sailed 
up the river as far as it 
could go. On coming 
back the Dutch were at- 
tacked by the Indians, 
but some cannon were 
fired and the savages fled 
in the utmost terror. 
Hudson now sailed back 
to Europe with the story 
of the discoverv he had made. He afterwards discovered 
Hudson Bay, which was also named after him. 



y — 


THE HALF MOON IN THE HUDSON. 


IV.— THE INDIANS. 

Who owned the Land? — The English, the French, the 
Spanish, and other nations of Europe, as we have said, sent 
ships to America, and for a long time afterwards there were 
disputes and fights among them to decide who owned the 
land, and how it should be divided. Many good men now 
think that it did not belong to any of them, but to the old 
inhabitants of the country, and that the white men were 
little better than land pirates. 

Who were these old inhabitants ? Everywhere that the 
white men had landed they had found tribes of red or cop- 
per-colored men, some of whom were gentle and friendly, 


THE INDIANS. 


33 


others fierce and warlike. Before ^we go on with our story 
we must tell something about these people. 

The Indians, as Columbus had named them, were found 
in every part of Ilorth and South America, and had been 
there for a long time. Some of them were civilized, but 
the most of them were savages, and lived in a very rude 
manner. The Indians of this country which we now know 
as the United States were all savages, and were a fierce and 
cruel people, who spent much of their time in killing one 
another. Many of them dwelt in the forests, and lived by 
hunting. Others raised crops of Indian corn, and dwelt in 
towns and villages. 

The Mound-Builders. — Long ago, no one can tell how 
long, a people dwelt in this region who seem to have been 
very active and industrious. We know this because much 
of their work remains. In some of the Western States 
there are hills of earth, called by us mounds^ which were 
made by the hands of men. Most of these are small, but 
some are very large. 

In these mounds have been found* tools of stone and other 
substances, pots made of burnt clay, stone pipes, pieces of 
copper, and many other things. Some of these were made 
with great care and skill. The Mound-Builders seem to 
have had different customs from the present Indians. Some 
of their mounds must have taken years to build and the 
labor of thousands of people. 

Who these people were and what became of them nobody 
knows. Most writers think they were driven away or killed 
by the Indians. Some think that they went south, and that 
the tribes which Be Soto found there descended from them. 
These tribes had great mounds like those of the north, and 
had tools and ornaments, and many towns with temples and 
priests, and strong governments. 

3 


34 


THE ERA OF DISCOVERY, 


The Indians. — All we are sure of is that when white men 
came to America the country in which we now live was 
covered with forests, in which savages lived and hunted. 
These people were of a copper color, with black eyes and 
hair, and were divided into tribes. Some of them lived by 
raising corn and other vegetables, and others by hunting. 
Most of them dwelt in little tents covered with skin or bark, 
and called wugwams,” but some tribes built large houses, 
in which many families lived together. 

The Indians did not care much for their houses. They 
liked better to spend their time in the open air. They were 
very fond of roving about through the forests, hunting wild 
animals and fighting with one another. They dressed in 
the skins of these animals, painted their faces and bodies, 
and ornamented themselves Avith feathers and the claws of 
wild beasts. All the hair of their head Avas shaved off*, ex- 
cept one lock, called the scalp-lock. When one of them 
was killed in Avar this lock Avas used to pull off* his scalp, or 
the skin of his head. The Indians Avere very proud of the 
scalps Avhich they took in Avar. 

They Avere fond of fighting, and very cruel to their prison- 
ers. It was their custom to tie these to a stake or tree, heap 
wood round them, and burn them to deatli. And they tor- 
tured them in every cruel AA^ay they could. The Indians 
fought Avith boAvs and arroAvs, and Avith stone hatchets 
called “ tomahaAvks.’’ But after the Avhites came to America 
they got iron hatchets and fire-arms, and dressed them- 
selves in blankets instead of the skins they had worn 
before. Some tribes built forts of timber, often in the 
midst of swamps. These were strong, and not easy to 
capture. 

Home Life. — At home the women had to do all the workc 
The men were too proud to do much but hunt and fight. 


THE INDIAyS. 


35 



barlv ill which they Indian village scene. 

paddled about the 


rivers. These canoes were very light. They could be car- 
ried long distances through the forests, and they floated 
lightly in the water. Fire was obtained by rubbing two 
sticks together until they became so hot as to break into a 
blaze.* 

The food of the Indians consisted of corn and a few 
vegetables they raised, and of the game they killed in the 
forests. They had tobacco, of which they were very fond, 
and which they soon taught the white men to smoke. In 
return the white men taught them to drink whisky, — a much 
worse gift than that of tobacco. Some writers think that 
whisky has killed more Indians than the musket. 

Government.— The tribes of the Indians were divided 


* 'Without fire civilization could not exist, so this method of makino- fire 
may he looked upon as one of the first steps towards the high civilization 
which we now enjoy. 


3G 


THE ERA OF DISCOVERY. 


mto smaller bodies, whicli may be called clans. Each clan 
paid great respect to some animal, which it called its totem., 
such as the wolf, the tortoise, the bear, etc. The clans had 
chiefs whom they called sachems, who ruled them in peace, 
and other chiefs who ruled them in war. A number of 
such clans formed a tribe, and several tribes joined together 
formed a league or confederacy. One of these leagues was 
known as tlie Iroquois, or the Six [N’ations, who lived in the 
region now known as New York, and there were others 
elsewhere. 

Religion. — The religious ideas of the Indians were very 
simple. Each Indian thought that he was taken care of by 
the spirit of the animal that formed his totem. He had great 
respect for this animal, though he did not mind killing the 
totem of other Indians. Most of them believed in spirits of 
the winds and stars, and many of them thought that there 
was a Great Spirit, who ruled over all men and all things. 

Their priests they called medicine men/’ These were 
their doctors as well as priests, and did everything by charms 
and spells. Many of them were great rogues. The tribes 
had religious songs and dances, and many other ceremonies, 
some of which were strange and noisy, and some very pain- 
ful and cruel. 

For money the Indians used round pieces of sea-shells, in 
which they bored holes and strung them on strings. This 
they called wampum. They knew nothing about reading 
and writing, but used simple marks and signs by which they 
could tell one another many things. 

Their Sagacity. — The Indians were brave and bold, but 
could not be trusted. They would do anything to kill those 
whom they hated. They, had wonderful skill in tracking 
their enemies through the wilds and forests. Where white 
men could see nothing, the Indians could see the marks of 


FRENCH AND ENGLISH SETTLEMENTS. 


37 


footsteps on the dead leaves or the dry ground, and could 
follow a trail for many miles as easily as a dog can follow an 
animal by its scent. 

This made them very dangerous to the whites. They 
could travel very far in a day, and could go in a straight 
line through thick forests where the sun could not be seen. 
Many white travellers were captured and killed by them. 
But in time some of the whites learned the Indian ways, and 
could follow a trail as well as the}^ 

The Southern Tribes. — In the country near the Gulf of 
Mexico the Indians were more civilized than in the north. 
They had many towns or large villages, and their chiefs had 
much power. The sun was their god, and they had temples, 
with numbers of priests and much ceremony. Farther west, 
in the Rocky Mountain region, were tribes who built great 
stone houses, with hundreds of rooms, large enough for a 
whole tribe to live in one house. 

Quarrels with the Whites. — The Indians at first were 
friendly to the whites. They gave them land and were 
willing to help them in any way they could. But it was 
not long before quarrels began. Sometimes the white men 
were in the wrong, and sometimes the Indians, but dreadful 
scenes followed. The Indians would march silently through 
the forests and fidl on the settlements, burning the houses 
and killing the people, or taking them away as prisoners. 
The whites would attack the tribes in return, and kill all the 
Indians they could. • 

But the whites were the strongest and drove the Indians 
back step by step, and took possession of nearly the whole 
country. The savages now own only a small portion of the 
great continent which was once all their own. But they are 
forced to live in peace, and they are better oft' than when 
most of their time was spent in war and bloodshed. 


38 


THE ERA OF DISCOVERY'. 


PART 1. -QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 

L. What was known of the world four hundred years ago? W^hat was 
thought would happen to vessels that sailed out of sight of land ? What is 
tiie mariner’s compass ? What journey did Marco Polo make ? W^hat did 
the Northmen discover? Who was Christopher Columbus? How did he 
think Asia could be reached? What troubles did he have ? When did he 
sail on his voyage of discovery ? Why were the sailors afraid? What made 
them think they were near land ? On what day was land discovered ? What 
were the inhabitants like? Why were they called Indians ? Describe the 
landing of Columbus. W^hat stories were told by the sailors when they re- 
turned to Spain? How was Columbus received? What was his history 
afterwards ? 

II. Who was John Cabot? Describe his voyage. What did Sebastian 
Cabot discover ? What did the fishermen do ? Describe the voyage of Ver- 
razano. What did Cartier do ? Who was Ponce de Leon ? W^hat did he 
discover? What did Balboa discover? W^hat conquests were made by Cor- 
tez and Pizarro ? W^here did Narvaez go ? W^hat did De Soto seek ? Where 
did he journey ? Describe his death and burial. 

III. W^ho first settled in the United States? How did RibaulPs colony 
behave ? Describe the Florida colony. When did the Spaniards lay out St. 
Augustine? What did Menendez do at Fort Carolina? How did he treat 
the shipwrecked Frenchmen ? What did De Gourges do ? When did Sir 
Humphrey Gilbert come to America? Where did Sir Walter Raleigh plant 
a colony ? Tell how tobacco was first taken to Europe. What became of 
Raleigh’s colony? When and where was the first permanent French colony 
formed ? When did Champlain found Quebec ? What did he hope to do ? 
What lake did he discover? Describe his battle with the Iroquois. How did 
the Iroquois revenge themselves ? What river did Henry Hudson discover ? 
How did he act with the Indian chiefs ? 

IV. What kind of people were found in America? Who were the Mound- 
Builders ? What relics did they leave? What were the Indians like? How 
did they live? How did they treat their prisoners? How did they fight? 
How did they live in their homes ? How were they governed ? What was 
the character of their religion ? What did they use for money ? What is 
said of their sagacity? Were the southern tribes more civilized than the 
northern ? What did they worship ? How did they receive the whites ? 
Bow have the whites treated them? 


VIRGINIA, 


39 


PART II. 

THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 

1.— VIEGINIA. 

The English Companies. — In 1606 two companies were 
formed in England to make settlements in America. One 



JAMESTOWN POINT, LOOKING UP THE RIVER 


of these was called the Loudon Company, and the other 
the Plymouth Company, At that time the whole country 


40 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 


Detween the French settlements in the north and the Span- 
ish settlements in the south Avas named Virginia, after Queen 
Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen of England. Now, only a small 
portion of this broad region is called Virginia. 

Both companies sent out colonies in 1607. One of these^ 
sent by the Plymouth Company, settled on the coast of 
Blaine ; but the people were not satisfied, and Avent back the 
next year. The other, sent by the London Company, AAns 
told to land on Roanoke Island, Avhere Raleigh’s lost colony 
had been ; but a storm drove the vessels into Chesapeake 
Bay. Here the colonist^ discovered a beautiful river, Avhich 
they named the James, after the King of England. They 
landed at a point some distance up the rwer, and formed a 
settlement Avhich they called JamestoAvn. 

This colony AA^as like all those before it. Nobody AA^anted 
to Avork. Some of the men thought they could cross the 
country to the Pacific Ocean. Others spent their time 
hunting for gold. They found a yelloAV substance Avhich 
they thought AA^as gold, and sent a ship-load of it to England. 
But it AA^as nothing but iron pyrites, or fool’s gold,” and 

of no value whatever ; so the gold- 
hunters, Avho had fancied them- 
selves rich, soon found themselves 
poor again. 

Captain John Smith. — By good 
luck this colony had Avith it a man 
who Avas Avorth more to it than a 
mine of gold. This AA^as Captain 
John Smith, a celebrated soldier, 
aaJio had been in AA^ars in Europe, 
and had gone through many strange 
adA'entures. Captain Smith Avas a A^ery actiA^e man. He Avent 
to work himself and kept the colonists at Avork AAuth him 



JOHN SMITH. 


VIRGINIA, 




cutting down trees and building houses. Those who would 
not work were given nothing to eat. Some of them swore 
very much, but he soon cured them of this. When night 
came he brought up the swearers and had a can of cold 
water poured down their sleeves for every time they had 
sworn during the day. We may imagine that laziness and 
swearing were quickly broken up in that colony. 

Captain Smith spent much of his time in exploring the 
bay and the country. On one of these journeys he was taken 
prisoner by the Indians, who killed his companions. They 
were about to kill him too, but he diverted them by showing 
them a small compass which he had with him. The move- 
ments of the magnetic needle seemed to them the work of 
magic, so they let him live, and brought him before their 
great chief, Powhatan. He surprised them still more by 
w^riting a letter to his friends and receiving an answer from 
them. The Indians could not understand how a piece of 
paper could talk. Smith’s friends 
understood what was on it, and the 
savages thought the paper must 
have spoken to them. 

Pocahontas. — But Powhatan did 
not like the English, and he decided 
that his prisoner should be put to 
death. Captain Smith tells us that 
he was laid on the ground, with his 
head on a stone, and that Powhatan 
had lifted a club to dash out his 
brains, when a young Indian girl 
named Pocahontas, the daughter 
of the chief, rushed in and begged her father not to kill 
him. So his life was spared. 

Pocahontas afterwards married an Englishman named 



POCAHONTAS. 


42 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 


Rolfe, and went with him to England. She did not live 
long after she reached there. Captain Smith had other 
adventures with the Indians and much trouble with the 
colonists. In 1609 he was badly hurt by the explosion of a 
bag of gunpowder, and went back to England. He never 
returned to Virginia. 

The Starving* Time. — As soon as Captain Smith left the 
colony everything went wrong. Jfobody would work ; they 
ate up all their provisions ; and the Indians were made so 
angry that they would not bring them any food. A terrible 
time followed. The foolish people soon found themselves 
starving. There were nearly five hundred of them, but in 
six months only sixty were alive. In a little time more not 
a soul of them would have been living if a vessel had not 
come in with provisions. This period was long known as 
‘‘ the starving time.” 

A new governor, Lord Delaware, came out in this vessel. 
He was a sensible man-, and things soon went well again. 
More colonists came, and the land was divided into farms 
and much food raised. The starving time had taught them 
a useful lesson. 

Tobacco Culture. — In 1612 the colonists began to raise 
tobacco. Much of the soil was given to this new crop, and 
so little corn was raised that there began to be danger 
again of want of food. In 1619 a Dutch ship came up 
the James with twenty negroes on board. These were 
sold to the colonists, and were the first slaves brought to 
America. 

The negroes were not the only human beings that were 
sold to the colonists. Until this time the colony had con- 
sisted only of men ; now, young women were sent over from 
England and sold to the colonists as wives. The price paid 
for a wife was one hundred and twenty pounds of tobacco. 


VIRGINIA, 


43 


Sixty more women were sent afterwards, and the price rose 
to one hundred and fifty pounds of tobacco. 

The Indian Massacre. — Two years afterwards, in 1622, 
when much of the country around Jamestown had been 
settled, the Indians formed a plan to kill all the white 
people in the colony. They pretended to be very friendly, 
and brouo;ht deer and fish and other thino;s to sell. But 
suddenly they drew out their weapons and began to kill 
the settlers. Men, women, and children were cut to pieces, 
and in one morning three hundred and forty-nine persons 
were slain. 

Jamestown was warned in time, and was saved, but very 
few of the whites were left alive in the outer settlements. A 
fierce war followed. The Indians were shot down wherever 
they were seen. The English offered peace to them, and 
then rushed on them when they were at work in their corn- 
fields, and killed a great many of them. 

Another Indian massacre took place in 1644, after which 
the red men were driven far back into the country, and did 
not give any trouble for many years. 

Bacon’s Rebellion. — During these years, and for a long 
time afterwards, the people of Virginia had trouble with 
their governors. They were not permitted to manage their 
own affairs, and much bitter feeling arose. One governor, 
named Berkeley, was such a tyrant that the people would no 
longer submit to him. 

The Indians were again at war with the whites, and a 
young man named Nathaniel Bacon raised a company and 
drove them away. This was in 1676. The governor said 
that Bacon was a traitor, because he had raised his company 
without permission. But the people w^ere so angry that they 
came to Bacon’s help, and fighting took place. The gov- 
ernor was driven out of Jamestown, and the town itself 


44 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 


burned to the ground. Xotliing of Jamestown now remains 
except the ruined walls of an old church. 

Soon after this Bacon died. Berkeley now got into 
power again and began to revenge himself by hanging his 
enemies. More than twenty of the leaders of the people 
were huim. 

O 

When the king heard of this he ordered Berkeley to come 



RUINS OF THE OLD CHURCH-TOWER, JAMESTOWN, VIRGINIA, 


home, and sent out governors of a different kind to the 
colony. Other troubles arose, but for the next hundred 
years Virginia grew and prospered, and many of its people 
became rich and honored. 


PILGRIMS AMD PURITANS. 


45 


II.— THE PILGRIMS AND THE PURITANS. 

The Pilgrims. — At the time that Captain John Smith was 
havino; his adventures with the Indians in Virginia, and 
Champlain was lighting with the Iroquois in iSTew York, 



LANDING OF THE PILGRIMS. 


some English people had found that they could not live in 
peace at home. They thought that every man ought to 
have a right to read tlie Bible for himself and form his own 
opinion about it. But the government said that they must 
believe what the Church of England taught. As they could 
not do this, they were treated badly by the government ; so 
they went to Holland and lived there for a number of years. 

Then they made up their minds to cross the ocean and 
settle in America. They were afraid that if they stayed in 



46 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES, 


Holland their children might forget their language and be- 
come in all things like the Dutch. One hundred and two 
of them set sail from England in a little vessel called the 
Mayflower. They did not know just to Avhat part of America 
they would go, but storms made them land at a place near 
Cape Cod. 

It was then the month of December of the year 1620. 
The weather was cold and the ground Avas covered with 
snoAv, but the people decided to settle in that region, so they 
ianded at a place Avhich had been named Plymouth by Cap- 
tain John Smith, who had explored that coast several years 
before. On reaching the shore they fell on their knees and 
thanked God for having brought them in safety to this new 
land. These people are knoAvn as Pilgrims, because they 
had left their homes and crossed the ocean on account of 
their religion, like the old-time pilgrims to the Holy Land. 

The First Winter. — The Pilgrims were not idle, like the 
men of the other colonies we have described. They went 
to Avork at once to build a house to shelter them and their 
goods. And they formed a goA^ernment of their OAvn, in 
which every man Avas to have a A^ote and to be the equal of 
every other man. But they had great hardships to endure, 
and nearly half of them died before spring. 

When the AAunter Avas gone they did not spend their time 
hunting for gold or Avandering about the country. They 
kept on building until they had a house for each family, and 
also began to till the soil. The Indians Avere friendly, and 
shoAved them hoAV to plant corn. They had Avith them a 
military man named Captain Miles Standish, but he Avas a 
very diflferent person from Captain John Smith. He A\"as 
an old soldier aaLo had joined the colonists to do their fight- 
ing for them, if any was necessary, — a little man, very short, 
but of a hot temper, — and it was not long before he began 


Pli:GRIMS AND PURITANS. 


47 


to make the Indians afraid of him. He was a bold and 
daring warrior, and the Pilgrims were glad to have a man 
like Captain Standish with them. 

The Plymouth colony was not like any of the others^ 
formed in America. The people had not been sent out by 
any company, and had no masters beyond the seas. They 
were free to serve God and to take care of themselves in 
their own way. They elected a governor and other officers, 
and formed a little republic of their own. They suftered 
from the cold and from w^ant of food, but the fishing was 
good and there were plenty of clams, so they managed to 
live. The land was soon divided into farms, and every man 
worked for himself, and before long enough corn was raised 
to trive them all food. 

O 

Canonicus. — The Indians at first were friendly, but some 
of them became uneasy when they saw that the white men 
intended to stay in their country. So Canonicus, the chief 
of the tribe of Xarragansetts, sent them a bundle of arrows 
with a snake-skin tied around them. This meant that if 
the whites did not leave the land the Indians would make 
war upon them. But the governor took the snake-skin and 
filled it with powder and bullets ; then he sent it back to 
Canonicus. The savages were scared when they saw what 
had been sent them. Thev were afraid to receive it, and it 

t/ ' 

passed from hand to hand and finally came back to the gov- 
ernor at Plymouth. So there was no war at that time. In 
1623 the Indians formed a conspiracy to murder the settlers ; 
but Captain Standish discovered it and killed the ring- 
leaders. After that the Indians kept quiet for years. 

The Massachusetts Bay Colony. — Plymouth was part of 
the country which the king had granted to the Plymouth 
Company, so that the Pilgrims came under the charter of 
this company. But they continued to govern themselves in 


48 


THE ENGLISEI COLONIES. 


their own way, and paid no attention to the company. 
Other people came out from time to time. In 1628 and 
1629 a considerable number came from England and settled 
at a place in Massachusetts Bay, which they called Salem. 

The next year eight hundred more came. There were ~ 
now about a thousand persons in the colony of Massachusetts 
Bay. These were not all poor people, like those at Plym- 
outh. Some of them Avere rich, and many of them were 
educated. Like the Pilgrims, it was religious trouble that 
brought them over the ocean. They were called Puritans 
and had been badly treated because they wished to purify 
the Church of England. 

The Charter. — The king had given them a charter by 
which they gained the right to govern themselves. They 
did not leave this charter in England, for thev did not Avish 
to be ruled by a company in London, but they brought it 
across the ocean Avith them. This Avas a bold step. The 
reign of liberty in America began Avith that charter. 

These colonists had much to endure. Many of them died. 
But there were no idle men among them, and they planted 
corn instead of seeking for gold, so that they were soon 
comfortable. Settlements Avere made all around Massachu- 
setts Bay. Boston, Roxbury, CharlestoAAm, and other places 
Avere added to Salem. The colonA^ grew much faster than 
that of Plymouth. 

Representative Government. — As Ave have said, the gov- 
ernment Avas at first in the hands of all the people. They 
met together in the churches and elected their otficers, and 
decided any question that came before them. But in 1634 
this Avas no longer easy to do. The people had increased 
till there were more than three thousand of them. These 
Avere settled at twenty difterent places along the sea-shore. 
They could not all come together to decide questions, and 


PILGRIMS AND PURITANS. 


49 


they chose persons to act for them. These met together at 
Boston, where they made laws and elected officers. The 
first Assembly of this kind in America had been formed 
in Virginia in 1619, but it did not have the power of the 
Boston Assembly, which made all the laws of the colony ; 
and these were carried out by a governor elected by them- 
selves, not by one sent from England. 

Other Colonists. — The Puritans kept on coming across the 
ocean, so that in ten years there were about twenty thousand 
people in New England. These were widely spread through 
the country. Some of them settled in Connecticut and 
there were settlements in New Hampshire and Maine. The 
Dutch had built a fort at the mouth of the Connecticut 
River, but they were driven away by the English. 

Roger Williams. — And now we have to tell of some very 
wrong doings of the Puritans. They had come to America, 
because they were not allowed to worship God in peace at 
home; but the}" soon began to say that nobody should 
worship God in New England except in their way. One 
minister, named Roger Williams, declared that the magis- 
trates had no right to tell a man what his religion should 
be. He said also that the white men had no claim to the 
land unless they paid the Indians for it. 

The Puritans thought that this was dangerous talk, and 
declared that no man should preach such doctrines in their 
churches. Williams would not be silent, so they drove him 
out of the colony. He went into the forests, where the 
Indians took care of him. At length he reached Narragan- 
sett Bay, and crossed it in an Indian canoe to a place which 
he called Providence. The Indians loved the young exile, 
and Canonicus, their chief, gave him a large tract of land. 

Religious Liberty. — There were other persons besides 
Roger Williams who could not live in peace with the^' 

4 


60 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 


Puritans. Many of these followed him. In the settlement 
which they formed every one w^as allowed to think on relig- 
ious subjects as he pleased. It was one of the first places in 
the world in which there was full religious liberty and in 
which no man was persecuted for his opinions. 

Rhode Island. — One of the new settlers, named William 
Coddington, bought an island from the Indians, which was 
called Rhode Island. This afterwards became the name 
of the State. A charter was given to the colony, and its 
people slowly grew in numbers. They were so afraid of 
tyrants that when Roger Williams refusevi to be governor 
the colony went without one for forty years. Williams 
was very just and kind to the Indians, and they looked on 
him as their best friend. 

The Quakers. — But the Puritans soon did worse things 
than to drive Roger Williams into the wilderness. When 
it was known in England that there was a colony in America 
formed by people who wished to worship God in peace and 
freedom, others besides the Puritans made haste to come to 
this free land. Among these were a number of the people 
known as Quakers, who had been very harshly treated in 
England. 

Several of these came to Pl}unouth and Salem, but they 
soon found that they were no better off in America than in 
England. They would not go to war, or pay taxes, or 
attend the Puritan churches, and they would not go away 
from the colony when they were ordered to do so. Some of 
them grew so excited as to be half crazy, and would come 
into the meeting-house on Sundays, wdth clothes made of 
sack-cloth, and with ashes on their heads. They did other 
things more foolish still. 

The Persecution. — As they would not leave the colony^ 
the Puritans began to persecute them. Some of them were 


/ 


PILGRIMS AND PURITANS. 51 

whipped in the streets, and others were branded wdth hot 
iron. Four of them w^ere hanged. And not only the ex- 
citable ones, but the quiet and well-behaved ones, were treated 
with great severity. The Puritans have been m\ich blamed 
for this cruelty. They had left England because men would 
not let them act in religious matters as they pleased, and 
now they were acting the same way to others who wished 
to worship in their own way. But they could not drive the 
Quakers out by severity, and they finally let them alone. 

The Salem Witchcraft. — It w^as not long before they 
began to persecute another set of people. In those days 
all ignorant persons and some learned ones believed in 
witches. It was thought that certain people had the power 
to bewitch and hurt others by a sort of magic. That was 
the belief all over Europe, and thousands of persons were 
put to death as witches. 

Some poor persons in Salem w^ere accused of being witches, 
and a court was held to try them. Very strange things w^ere 
said to have been done, and fifty of them were declared 
guilty. Twenty of these were hanged. The excitement 
spread, and people of high character were accused of witch- 
craft. This made the wiser people fear that there was 
something wrong in the public belief. When these re- 
spectable persons were brought to trial, the judges said that 
such persons could not be witches, and set them free. The 
foolish notion died away as quickly as it had risen. Sensi- 
ble people became very much ashamed of themselves for 
having believed in such folly ; and they could not easily 
forget that they had put to death innocent persons for a crazy 
delusion. This excitement continued from 1688 to 1693. 

Mode of Government. — All the New England colonies 
followed Massachusetts in their mode of government. The 
English kings had left the colonists to act as they pleased, 


52 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 


and there was no one in England that had any right to 
interfere with them, so the people were as free as if they 
had had no connection with England. In all the other 
colonies there were governors sent out by the king, the 
companies, or the proprietors; but the Puritans chose their 
own governors and made their own laws. 

A League of Colonies. — We have already told what the 
government was like. But in 1643 a new step in political 
conditions was made. There were then four colonies — Ply- 
mouth, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Haven — and 
these joined themselves into a league, or confederacy, and 
each colony chose two men to represent it. This was some- 
thing like the present government of the United States, and 
the meeting of deputies from the colonies was like a little 
Congress. New England was constituted as if it was a free 
republic at that early date. 

The Charters Revoked. — But the people of New England 
were not left at ease after Charles II. became king. He did 
not wish them to have so much liberty, and he declared 
that the charter of Massachusetts no longer held good. 

Soon afterwards he died, but the next king, James II., was 
still more severe. He said that all the New England colonies 
were his, that he would make the laws and levy the taxes, 
and that the people should have no voice in the govern- 
ment. He sent out Sir Edmund Andros as royal governor, 
and demanded that all the charters should be given up. 

The Lost Charter. — But the new governor did not suc- 
ceed very well. When he came to Hartford the assembly 
met to decide whether they should obey his order and give 
up their charter. This important paper was laid on the 
table. It was evening and candles were lighted. Suddenly 
the candles all went out and the room was left in dark- 
ness. When they were relighted the charter was gone. It 


INDIAN WARS OF NEW ENGLAND. 


53 


is said that one of the members had flung his cloak over 
the candles and carried off the charter, which he hid in a 
hollow tree, where it stayed for years. This tree was long 
known as the Charter Oak. 

A Chang-e of Kings. — While the governor was in Boston 
news reached there that the people of England had risen 
against the king and driven him from the throne. So the 
governor was imprisoned, and the people took the govern- 
ment again into their own hands. But it was not long be- 
fore the new king sent them a new governor, and they lost 
much of their old freedom. 

^ III.— INDIAN WARS OF NEW ENGLAND. 

' / English and Indians. — In time the settlers of New Eng- 

h * 

land bfegan to have trouble with the Indians. Shortly after 
the Pilgrims landed a chief had come to them, with the 
words, Welcome, Englishmen.” He had learned these words 
from some of those people who had crossed the ocean in 
search of fish. But before long this friendly feeling passed 
away. The English did not treat the Indians well. Cap- 
tain Standish was very stern and severe with them, and 
killed several of them. And the settlers went farther and 
farther into the land, and new ones came over the ocean in 
such numbers that the red men began to fear that all their 
countrv would be taken from them. 

The Pequot War. — Yet it was not in Massachusetts but in 
Connecticut, in 1637, that the first fighting took place. Here 
there was a fierce and warlike tribe called the Pequots, who 
became very angry on seeing the white men settling on their 
lands. They began to kill the whites whenever they found 
them alone. The English killed some of them in return, 
and then a deadly war began. No white man could leave 
the fort without danger of being murdered by the savages. 


54 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 


The settlers soon made up their minds to put an end to 
this. So they got together a party of soldiers and sent them 
against the Pequot fort. There were ninety white men 
and several hundred friendly Indians, led by Captain John 
Mason. The Indian fort was near where the town of Ston- 
ington is now built. It was made of trunks of trees, about 
twelve feet high, set close together in the ground. The 
Indian allies were left outside while the English forced their 
way into the fort and set fire to the wigwams of the 
Pequots. Then the fight began in the smoke and flame, 
and nearly all the Pequots were killed, while only two white 
men were slain. 

There were some Pequots outside the fort, but these were 
followed and the most of them killed. This battle so 
frightened the Indians that there was very little trouble 
with them in New England for forty }"ears afterwards. 

King* Philip’s War. — The next war with the Indians began 
in 1675. The tribe of the Wampanoags had always been 
friendly with the whites ; but the old sachem died and his 
son, named Philip, became sachem. He hated the whites, 
and got some of the other tribes to join him in a war against 
them. One of these tribes was the Narragansetts, of Rhode 
Island, who had, until now, been kept friendly by Roger 
Williams. 

\ The war that followed was a terrible one. The Indians 
were no longer afraid to touch powder and bullets. They 
had thrown aside the bow and arrow and taken the musket 
for their weapon, and they now attacked the settlements 
in all directions. They drove off the cattle, destroyed the 
crops, and burned the houses, and many of the white 
people were murdered. Several towns were taken by the 
Indians and burned, and the whole country was thrown 
into a state of terror. 


INDIAN WARS OF NEW ENGLAND. 


55 


Defeat of the Narragansetts. — But the killing of a few 
hundred persons could not drive the white people from the 
country, for by this time there were about sixty thousand of 
them in New England. They made up their minds to pun- 
ish the Indians and put an end to the war. So a force of 
fifteen hundred men was sent against the Narragansetts, 
who had a strong fort in the centre of a great swamp. 
They thought they were safe there ; but the soldiers got into 
their fort, killed a thousand of them, and forced the others 
to flee for their lives. This was in the winter, and many 
more of the savages died from cold and hunger, as they had 
no place of shelter and very little to eat. 

Death of Philip.— This dreadful affair broke the power 
of the Indians ; but parties of them wandered about the 
settlements, and killed men, women, and children wherever 
they could. The people grew furious at this, and hunted 
the savages like wild beasts. Philip and his followers were 
chased from place to place. In August, 1676, they went to 
Mount Hope, Rhode Island, and here they were surprised 
by a party of soldiers and Indians. Philip started up to flee 
for his life, but he was shot by an Indian and fell dead. 

This ended the war. All danger from the Indians was 
at an end, except in Maine and New Hampshire, where the 
settlements were weak. . The whites had suffered terribly. 
About six hundred of them had been murdered. Twelve 
or thirteen towns, with about six hundred houses, had been 
burned. But the tribes were broken up, and many of the 
Indians were sent to the West Indies to be sold as slaves. 

The First French and Indian Wars. — The next troubles 
in New England were stirred up by the French, who began 
>a war in Europe with the English in 1689, and another in 
1702. The French and English in America were not satis- 
fied to let all the fighting be done on the other side of the 


56 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES, 


ocean, but thought that they must do what they could to 
kill one another, though they had nothing to do with the 
war. Many of the northern Indians took the side of the 
French, and came down from Canada to attack the English 
settlements. Farm-houses and villages were burned, and 
hundreds of the people were killed or carried off as pris- 
oners. The whole country was kept in a state of terror for 
years. 

Mrs. Dustin’s Escape. — We may tell the story of one of 
these prisoners. This was a brave woman named Mrs. 
Dustin, who was carried off from the town of Haverhill, in 
Massachusetts, with her baby, her nurse, and a young boy. 
The Indians soon killed the babv, but thev took the others 
for many miles through the forest. Mrs. Dustin found out 
that the Indians were going to torture and- kill them at the 
end of their journey, so she resolved to try to escape. They 
were now on an island in the Merrimac River, and that 
night the Indians lay down to sleep, not dreaming that they 
were in any danger from their prisoners. 

There were twelve of these Indians, and they had no fear 
of two women and a boy. But Mrs. Dustin told her com- 
panions what she wanted them to do, and while the savages 
lay asleep the three prisoners took possession of their toma- 
hawks and began killing them. They worked so quickly 
that ten of the Indians were killed. The other two, a 
woman and a bov, ran for their lives into the forest. The 
brave woman took their canoe and floated down the river 
till she got safely to her home again. There is a statue of 
Mrs. Dustin now in Haverhill, and a monument on the 
Merrimac River at the point where the Indians were slain. 

The People of Deerfield. — There were many more horrible 
events in these wars. Some large villages, such as Schenec- 
tadv in New York, and Deerfield in Massachusetts, were 


MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE PURITANS. 57 

taken and burned, and the people murdered or carried off 
prisoners. It was a terribly cold winter, yet many of the 
people of Deerfield were made to walk through the woods 
to Canada with very little clothing and scarcely anything 
to eat. There they were sold to the French as slaves. 

C/ 

Pioneer Life. — The pioneers of America led a life of great 
danger and terror, very different from anything that is 
known here to-day. The men worked in the fields with 
their rifles by their sides, and each house was built like a 
strong fort, for no one knew at what moment the savages 
might burst with a yell from the woods and fall on them 
with musket and tomahawk. These were times such as can 
never come again in this peaceful country. 

IV.— MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE PURITANS. 

To tell what laws a people made, what wars they fought, 
and what things they did is not to tell their whole story. 
To tell how they lived, what their houses and churches were 
like, what work they performed, and how they enjoyed 
themselves is quite as important and as interesting. So it 
is our purpose now to say something about the manners 
and customs of the people of New England. 

Puritan Houses. — In the early period of this country 
there were none of the great and beautiful buildings we see 
to-day. Most of the houses were log huts, only one story 
high, with very steep roofs which were covered with thatch. 
But there were a few houses made of wood and brick and 
some of stone, two stories high. As time went on the houses 
became larger, but the largest of them would seem small 
to us. 

In these houses were large fireplaces, built of stone, in 
some of which logs four feet long could be burned. The 
chimneys at first were made of boards, or of sticks smeared 


58 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES. * 


with clay. There was very little glass for the windows, and 
oiled paper was much used instead. When glass was used 
it was made in small and thick diamond-shaped panes, 
which were set in frames of lead. Furniture was not 
plentiful, and was very rude in shape and finish, with none 
of the beauty and art of the furniture of our modern houses. 
There were few clocks, and most people had to tell the 
time from the sun. For this purpose the houses were 
built so as to face exactly south. When the sun shone 
squarely into the rooms the people knew that it was noon 
and time for dinner. 

Dress. — The Puritans dressed quite plainly, and very 
differently from what we do now. The men wore knee- 
breeches and short cloaks, with ruffs about their necks, and 
steeple-crowned hats ; the wealthy ones had rich belts, gold 
and silver buttons, and high boots rolled over at top for 
great occasions. The women wore dresses of plain home- 
spun during the week, and silk hoods, lace neckerchiefs, and 
other finery on Sunday. 

But the law required that everybody should dress to suit 
his or her station in life. Workingmen wore breeches of 
leather or coarse goods, and red or green baize jackets, with 
somewhat finer clothes for Sunday; while the gentleman 
wore his robe of silk or velvet, with lace ruffles at his wrists 
and gold lace on his cloak. A gold-headed cane and a gold 
or silver snuff-box were thought necessary to a gentleman. 
But whoever wore fine clothes could be punished unless he 
could prove that he was rich enough to afford them. 

Titles. — The titles of Mr. and Mrs. were not so common 
as they are to-day. They were used only for clergymen and 
magistrates, and for people of very high position. Every- 
body else, except servants, was called Good-man, or Good- 
wife. Much respect was shown to persons of education. 


MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE PURITANS. 59 


As the colonies grew richer great display was made by 
wealthy people. Fine houses were built, elegant furniture 
and dress were imported, and there was much show among 
people of wealth. 

Food and Amusements. — Food was by no means as great 
in variety as it is now. There was no way to bring fruits 
from other parts of the world, or to preserve vegetables and 
meats for the winter, as is now done so largely. Corn meal 
and milk, or pork and beans, were common food, while bread 
was generally made of rye and Indian meal. Tea and 
coffee were not used, but much beer and cider were drunk. 
Amusements were very simple. No one was allowed to 
dance, or to play cards, and there was not much music, 
while such a thing as a theatre was unknown. The Puritans 
were simple and strict in all their habits. 

Laws and Penalties. — The laws were very severe. There 
were whipping-posts, wdiere men and women were often 
whipped in public for doing things which are now not con- 
sidered crimes. There were also stocks, or wooden frames 
which could be locked around the neck or the feet, in which 
offenders were fastened and left to the scorn of the public. 
A woman who was a common scold might be punished by 
being ducked in a stream or pond, or by having a split stick 
fastened on her tongue or a gag put in her mouth. In some 
cases the offender was made to stand on a stool in the 
church with the name of his crime written on a paper which 
was pinned on his breast. 

Town Meeting's. — The people, as we have before said, 
made their own laws. To do tliis they came together in 
town meetings and talked over public affairs. If a vote had 
to be taken, corn and beans were used to vote with. A grain 
of corn meant a vote in favor of the measure ; a bean was 
a vote against it. The town meetings were intended only to 


60 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 


discuss local affairs ; those of the whole colony were settled 
by the governor and the assembly. 

Church-Going*. — In religious matters the Puritans were 
very strict. Everybody was expected to attend church, and 
those who failed to do so were punished. On Sunday morn- 
ing the sound of a drum, or perhaps the blowing of a horn 



PURITANS GOING TO CHURCH. 


or ringing of a bell, would call fhe people to worship. The 
meeting-house was like a small fort, as it had a fence of 
strong stakes driven into the ground around it. Often a 
cannon or two would be placed near the church, or perhaps 
on its roof, while the men walked to church with their guns 
over their shoulders, and kept them within easy reach dur- 
ing the service. 



MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE PURITANS. 61 


Fear of the Indians. — It was fear of the Indians that 
made them so cautious. No one knew at what moment the 
dreadful war-whoop might sound, and a troop of blood- 
thirsty savages rush into the town. In such a case the 
meeting-house could be turned at once into a fort, and the 
men fight there for the lives of themselves and their families. 

Within the Church. — The worshippers did not sit together 
as now, but the old people occupied one part of the church, 
the young men another, and the young women a third. The 
boys sat on the steps of the pulpit and in the gallery. No 
one was allowed to go to sleep in those old Puritan 
churches. The constable was always on hand to keep them 
awake. He carried a staff that had the foot of a hare on 
one end and a harems tail on the other. If a woman went 
to sleep, the hare’s- tail was brushed gently over her face; 
but if a boy was caught nodding, the hare’s foot came down 
on his pate with a sharp rap. Yet it must have been hard 
to keep awake, for the sermons were sometimes three or four 
hours long, and no doubt often very dry and tiresome. 

Industries. — The people of New England lived on what 
they could raise from the soil. But there were some things 
manufactured, such as hats, paper, shoes, furniture, and 
farming tools. Most people dressed in homespun goods, 
and the spinning-wheel was kept busy in the houses. Money 
was scarce, and for a while bullets were used for farthinsrs. 
They also used the wampum of the Indians and beaver 
skins and corn for money ; but they began to make silver 
coins in 1652. 

Vessels. — Manv vessels were built. The first of these 
built in Massachusetts was called The Blessing of the Bay. 
In time the New England people had a large trade along 
the coast, and sent vessels for whales into the icy seas of the 
north. 


62 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 


Military Customs. — Every man and boy past the age of 
sixteen had to act as a soldier, and they were obliged to 
meet together and go through military exercises at certain 
periods. The danger from the Indians was so great that 
this was necessary, and in the frontier settlements no farmer 
went into his field, or travelled along the road, without his 
musket. The houses were built like forts. 

Some of the soldiers carried long pikes. Others carried 
guns called matchlocks. These guns were fired with a 
slow-match, or a piece of substance that burns very slowly. 
It was long afterwards when they began to use a piece of 
flint and steel to make a spark and set fire to the powder in 
the gun, and still later before the gun-caps which are now 
used were invented. Each soldier carried a rest, or iron 
fork, which he stuck into the ground to rest the end of his 
heavy musket on while he took aim. Swords also were 
used, and some of the soldiers wore iron helmets and breast- 
plates. Others wore coats quilted with cotton wool, through 
which an Indian arrow could not pass. 

Modes of Travel. — The usual mode of travel was on foot 
or horseback, but many went in vessels along the coast. 
That is the way Benjamin Franklin came from Boston to 
New York, as he tells us in his own story of his life. From 
New York to Philadelphia he came part of the way by land 
and part by boat on the Delaware River, and found it a 
long and difficult journey. Now one may make the same 
journey in two hours in a palace car. 

V.— NEW YORK. 

The Purposes of the Colonist. — The people who came to 
America did so for various purposes. The Spanish came in 
search of gold and silver. The French of Canada wished 


NEW YORK. 


63 


to trade with the Indians. The English of Virginia at first 
sought for gold, and soon after began to cultivate tobacco 
and send it to England. The Puritans were the first who 
began to till the soil as a business, and who had no other 
objects in view. They were the first, also, who made the 
New World truly their home, and took care of themselves 
without any help from Europe. 

The Dutch. — Other people than the French came to 
America to trade with the Indians. After Henry Hudson 
got back to Europe and told of the great river he had 
sailed up in the Half Moon, the Dutch claimed all the terri- 
tory he had visited, and called it New Netherlands.'^ 

The First Settlement. — A Dutch sailor named Adrian 
Block came there in 1614, and loaded his ship with bear 
skins. But when he was just ready to set sail for home 
his ship, which was called the Tiger, was found to be on 
fire. It could not be saved, so the sailors had to hurry 
ashore and leave their vessel to the flames. They built 
themselves log huts, and spent the winter on Manhattan 
Island, where the great city of New York now stands. 
They called the place New Amsterdam. In the spring they 
built a vessel called the Onrust (which means Unrest), and 
sailed back to Holland. 

The Land Purchased. — After this the Dutch kept on 
coming, and they formed trading posts at different places 
along the Hudson River. They were the first settlers who 
acted as if they believed that the Indians had a right to the 
lands they lived on, and who were willing to pay for them. 
But they did not pay a very high price. They bought the 
whole of Manhattan Island for goods worth about twenty- 
four dollars. Other tracts of land were bought, and they 
kept up a thriving trade wuth the Indians for the skins of 
bears, beavers, and other animals. 


64 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 


The Claim to Connecticut. — Some Dutch ships also went 
up the Connecticut River. They built a fort near its mouth, 
and said that they owned the whole coast as far north as 
Cape Cod. They were not there long before an English 
vessel came sailing down from Plymouth. The Dutch told 
them that they would fire on them from the fort if they 
tried to go up the river ; but the Plymouth men were not 
easily frightened, and they sailed past the fort in spite of its 
guns, and built a trading house at a place they called Wind- 
sor. This was in 1633. Other English settlers came to the 
Connecticut River by land from Massachusetts Bay, and 
some came over from England and settled at a place which 
they called New Haven. The Dutch talked of driving them 
out, but the English were too strong, so the Dutch soon had 
to leave Connecticut, and it became an English colony. 

The Delaware. — Another Dutch vessel, under Captain 
Mey, sailed into Delaware Bay and River. He took a look 
at the fine country on both sides, and declared that all this 
land should belong to Plolland. A fort was built on the 
Delaware River, but it was soon allowed to go to ruin, and 
the Dutch did not act as if they wanted the country. 

The Swedes. — About twenty years afterwards a colony 
came from Sweden, led by Peter Minuit, a former Dutch 
governor of New York, but now in the service of Sweden, 
and settled on the banks of Delaware Bay and River. Now 
the Dutch suddenly found that they wanted the country 
very badly. They said that the Swedes had settled on their 
lands, and sent ships and soldiers who attacked them and 
took their forts from them. The Swedes were not driven 
away, but they had to accept the Dutch as their masters. 

The Duke of York. — The Dutch had some troubles with 
the Indians, but no very serious ones, and they soon formed 
many settlements along the Hudson River. Yet the people 


NEW YORK. 


65 


were not satisfied, for some of their governors acted like 
tyrants, and they thought that they ought to have the same 
right to govern themselves as the people of New England. 
It was not long before there was a change in their govern- 
ment. The English said that all this country was theirs, 
and that the Dutch had no right to it. 

In 1664 the Duke of York, the brother of the king, sent 
three armed shij)s over from England, and Stuyvesant, the 
Dutch governor, was ordered to give up the country. He 
wanted to fight, but the people would not help him. They 
did not like the way he had treated them, and thought they 
would be better off under the English. So the island was 
given up to the English, and the name of the town changed 
to New York. This was the beginning of the great city of 
that name. 

Leisler’s Revolt. — There is not much more to tell about 
the colony of New York. The people did not find the 
English rule any easier than the Dutch. The governors 
sent out by the Duke of York were very severe. The peo- 
ple at last rose against one of these governors and drove 
him away, and chose a merchant named Jacob Leisler to 
take his place. But a new governor was sent over from 
England, who arrested Leisler for treason. This governor, 
who was named Sloughter, did not want to do anything 
more to Leisler, who had not been much to blame ; but he 
had the fault of drinking, and some of LeisleEs enemies 
got him to sign the death-warrant while he was drunk. 
They took care to hang Leisler before the governor got 
sober again. There was never any stronger proof than this 
of the folly and crime of intemperance. 

Captain Kidd. — Other governors came afterwards who 
were no better than Sloughter. One of them was said to be 
a partner of the pirates, of whom there were many on the 


66 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 


coast. A vessel was sent against them, commanded by Cap- 
tain Kidd ; but he ran away with the vessel and turned 
pirate himself. He was afterwards taken and hanged. 

The Negro Plot. — At this period there were many negro 
slaves in New York. In time one-fifth of all the inhab- 
itants were slaves. The people grew afraid of them, and 
passed severe law^s to keep them in subjection. At length, 
in 1741, the story was started that the negroes had formed 
a plot to murder their masters. This caused gre^t fear 
among the New Yorkers, and many of the negroes were 
arrested. Some of these were hung, others were burned 
at the stake, and others transported. Some white men were 
hung also. 

It is very doubtful if there was any real plot. The people 
were so frightened that they hardly knew what they were 
doing, and there is no doubt that many innocent persons 
were put to death. Fear makes men do many cruel and 
unjust things. 

VI.— LIFE IN NEW YORK. 

Dutch Houses. — The Dutch settlers of New York had 
modes of life very different from those of New England and 
the South. They built houses like those of Holland. These 
were of wood, or of small black and yellow bricks, and had 
their gable ends facing the street. There were weather- 
cocks on the roofs, and the houses had many doors and win- 
dows, with a great brass knocker on the front door. They 
were kept very clean, as houses were in Holland. 

The women spent much time in sweeping and scrubbing. 
They had no carpets, but they covered the floors wfith wdiite 
sand, which was made into lines and patterns wuth the 
broom. They had great open fireplaces, with tiles of differ- 
ent colors and figures. The furniture was plain and solid, 


LIFE IN NEW YORK. 


67 


and there was much old silver and china in the cupboards. 
Every house had its spinning-wheels and a great chest full 
of linen which the women had woven. 

Modes of Life. — The Dutch did not work very hard. 
They took life easy, and spent much of their time sitting on 
the porches with long pipes in their mouths. They liked 
good eating and drinking, and enjoyed telling stories and 



playing at various games. Many 
things and habits we now have 
came from the Dutch. Our 
Santa Claus” came from them, 
and also the custom of New 
Year visits, and of colored eggs dutch interior. 

at Easter. The Dutch cooks of 

New Amsterdam were the first in this country to make 
doughnuts and crullers. The people were not very fond of 
church-going, but they had great respect for their ministers, 
or dominies,”* as they called them. When money was 
scarce they paid the dominies in beaver skins or wampum. 



'68 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES, 


The Dutch Dress. — The Hollanders had their own ideas 
about dress. Tlie men wore several pairs of knee-breeches, 
one over the other, which gave them a very baggy look. 
They wore large buckles at the knees and on the shoes, 
while their coats had great buttons of brass or silver. The 
women wore a great many short and bright-colored petti- 
coats, with stockings of various colors and high-heeled 
shoes. On their heads they wore white muslin caps. 

Industries. — There were people of several different nations 
in New York, but Dutch was the ordinary language, even 
long after the country had been taken by the English. 
IMost of the people were engaged in trading with the Indians 
for furs, which they sent to Europe, along with timber, tar, 
tobacco, and other things. They built their own vessels, 
and gave them such queer names as King Solomon and 
The Angel Gabriel. 

The Patroons. — The country was settled in a way unlike 
that of any other colony. Rich persons came from Holland, 
where they had bought the right to take up in America a 
tract of land running sixteen miles along a stream and as 
far back into the country as they pleased. They were told 
that they must pay the Indians for the land, and bring out 
a colony of fifty persons within four years. 

These great land-owners were called Patroons.’^ They 
owned all the best lands, and the farmers were only tenants. 
Thus New York was very different from New England, 
which was divided into small farms owned by the farmers. 
The patroon S3^stem was not changed by the English, and 
many of these great estates continued until recent times. 
The rents were low, but about 1844 many of the tenants 
refused to pay rent any longer. After some trouble, most 
of the farmers bought their lands, and the great estates of 
the patroons were broken up. * 


MARYLAND. 


69 


VI L— MARYLAND. 

Lord Baltimore. — The Catholics of England were treated 
as badly as the Puritans, and when they saw how well the 
Puritans got along in America, they thought that if they 
should cross the ocean they might be able to live like them 
in peace and comfort. So a Catholic nobleman, named 
Lord Baltimore, got King Charles I. to give him a charter 
for a colony. The land he chose was on Chesapeake Bay, 
where a settlement was made in 1634 at a place called St. 
Mary’s. The country was named Maryland, after the wife 
of the king, whose name was Henrietta Maria. 

The charter which the king gave to Lord Baltimore 
was a very liberal one. He was permitted to govern the 
country in his own way, without any interference from 
England, and the king promised not to tax the colony if the 
governor would send him one-fifth of any gold or silver 
he might find and two Indian arrows every year as a sort 
of tribute. 

Religious Liberty. — Lord Baltimore was a wise and just 
man, and he declared that no one should suffer in his colony 
on account of religion. Most of the first settlers were 
Roman Catholics, but he said that all Christian people should 
have the same rights in Maryland as the Catholics. So for 
a time there were no religious disputes in that colony, 
though it was not long before other troubles began. 

Clayborne’s Rebellion. — Many persons came from Vir- 
ginia and settled in Maryland, and these did not get along 
well with the Catholics. Some of them had been there 
before Lord Baltimore, and they claimed to own a part of 
the country. Disputes began, and before many years there 
was war in the colony. A man named Clayborne was at the 
head of the Virginians, and after some fighting he drove 


70 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 


out the governor and took possession of the country. But 
the fighting began once more, and in the end he was de- 
feated and had to flee for his life. So Lord Baltimore got 
possession of his colony again. 

Religious Troubles. — But other Protestants kept coming 
into the country, who were not willing to live in peace with 
the Catholics, even under their fair laws. Quarrels arose, 
and when the Protestants became strong enough they passed 
a law that no Catholic should have a vote. In this way re- 
ligious freedom came to an end in Maryland. 

A Royal Governor. — In 1691 the King of England took 
the province away from Lord Baltimore and placed it 
under a royal governor. He declared that the Church of 
England should be the church of the colony, and the people 
were no longer allowed to worship in their own way. For 
twenty years this state of affairs continued. Then the king 
gave the colony back again to a descendant of Lord Balti- 
more, who was a Protestant. After that time no one was 
persecuted on account of his religion. 

Life in Maryland. — Most of the people of Maryland lived 
on plantations and raised tobacco as they did in Virginia. 
They paid for everything they wanted with this plant, 
which served them instead of money. Lord Baltimore had 
bought the land from the Indians, and the people had very 
little trouble with them. After the religious disputes were 
settled, Maryland became a happy and prosperous colony 
and affairs went on well there for many years. 

VIII.— PENNSYLVANIA. 

Religious Persecution. — We have seen that religious 
persecution made many of the people of Europe come to 
America. It was this that brought the French Protestants 


PENNS YL VANIA. 


7i 


to Florida, the Puritans to New England, and the Catholics 
to Maryland. The same cause sent another colony over the 
ocean. In those days each of the great nations of Europe 
had one religion which it said was the only true one, and 
they declared that any person who had a different belief was 
a bad man, and should be punished. 

The Quakers. — There were many of these heretics,’’ as 
they called them, in England. One sect of them called 
themselves Friends, but their enemies named them Quakers. 
They did not believe in war, nor in fine clothes, nor that 
one man is better than another. They would not take off 
their hats before a king. They had no fine churches and 
no paid ministers, and their ideas were so different from 
those of the Church of England that the government tried 
to make them change their belief. 

Many of them were thrown into prison, and they were 
treated so cruelly in other ways that some of them came 
across the ocean to Massachusetts. They thought that they 
might worship God in their own way among the Puritans, 
but they soon found out their mistake. We have told al- 
ready how badly the Puritans treated them. 

William Penn. — Among the Quakers was one rich and 
educated man, named William Penn. His father had been 
an admiral in the English navy, and when he died Charles 
II. owed him a large sum of money. William Penn had 
been in prison for being a Quaker, and he thought that he 
would like to make a home for himself and his friends 
where they could live in peace. So he asked King Charles 
to give him some land in America for the money he owed 
him. 

The king was glad to do this, for he had more land than 
money. He told Penn that he might have the land on the 
west of the Delaware River. This had belonged first to the 


72 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 


Indians, then to the Swedes, and afterwards to the Dutch, 
but when the English took New Amsterdam from the Dutch 

they took this also. It was covered 
with forests, and Penn wished to 
call it Sylvania, from the Latin 
word Sylva, which means forest. 
But the king said it should be 
called Pennsvlvania, or Penn’s 

c/ I 

forest-land. 

Philadelphia. — William Penn 
came to America in the year 
1682, in the good ship Welcome. 
There were Swedes and Dutch 
in his new province before him, as we know, and also some 
English, whom he had sent out the year before. Several 
of the Swedes lived where the great city of Philadelphia 
now stands ; but Penn 
bought the ground from 
them, and laid out a city 
which he called Phila- 
delphia, or brotherly 
love.” 

Penn's Treaty with 
the Indians. — He soon 
asked the Indians to 
meet him and have a 
friendly talk. Many of 
the chiefs came, and 
they met together under 
a great elm-tree, on the 
banks of the Delaware. 

The white men had no guns, and they gave presents to the 
Indians and promised to buj ihe land from them, instead 




PENNSYLVANIA. 


73 


of cheating and shooting them as had been done elsewhere. 
The Indians were glad to hear this, and said that they would 
live in love with the children of William Penn while the 
sun and moon shall shine/’ 

This promise was kept for many years. The Quakers 
w^ere a peaceful and just people, wdio never did any harm to 
the savages, and the Indians always looked on them as their 
friends. All the troubles with the red men in Pennsylvania 
came from other people. 

The Laws. — William Penn stayed only two years in 
America, and then went back to England, w^here he re- 
mained for many years. Instead of trying to govern the peo- 
ple, he called them together and let them make their own laws, 
and the colony at once became free and happy. Every man 
who paid a tax had a right to vote, no matter what religious 
belief he held, and the people continued to choose their own 
officers and make their own laws. Nearly the only power 
which W illiam Penn kept was that of appointing the governor. 

The Population. — People came over very fast to the 
Quaker settlement. Some of those who came first lived in 
holes dug in the river bank; but houses were soon built, and 
in two years Philadelphia had three hundred houses and 
twenty-five hundred inhabitants. Penn did not come back 
until 1699, at which time there were seven hundred houses. 
The city was very prosperous, but Penn did not get much 
money from his colony. The people forgot how much they 
owed to him, and let him die poor after all he had done to 
make them rich and happy. 

Delaware. — And now we must say something about the 
provinces of Delaware and New Jersey. One of the early 
governors of Virginia, named Lord de la Ware, had made 
a voyage along the coast, and entered a beautiful river, 
which was called Delaware after his name. Then the Swedes 


74 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 


and the Dutch came, and afterwards the English, and the 
country which is now called Delaware was for a time part 
of Pennsylvania. In 1703 it was made a separate colony, 
under its present name. 

New Jersey. — The Dutch were the first to settle in New 
Jersey. But when the Duke of York robbed the Dutch of 
their settlements, he gave this province to two English 
noblemen, who named it after the island of Jersey, in the 
English Channel. 

Among the people who came there were some Quakers, 
and William Penn soon bought part of the land and invited 
others to come. Afterwards the rest of the province was 
bought by the Quakers, and it was thrown open to the per- 
secuted people of all religions. 

In 1702 a royal governor was appointed who ruled over 
New York and New Jersey. It was not till 1738 that 
New Jersey got a governor of its own. But the lands 
settled by the Quakers long continued among the most 
peaceful, freest, and happiest of all the settlements in 
America. 


IX.— LIFE IN PENNSYLVANIA. 

The People of Pennsylvania. — Pennsylvania was settled 
by people of different nations, and several languages were 
spoken. Among these settlers were English and Swedes, 
Dutch and Germans, Scotch and Irish. There were no im- 
portant towns besides Philadelphia, but that was the greatest 
city in America till after the Revolution. 

Philadelphia. — William Penn laid out his city with streets 
crossing each other at right angles, like those of ancient 
Babylon. It had many handsome buildings, the streets were 
lined with trees, and there were gardens and orchards about 
the houses, so that it was a fair greene country town,’^ as 


LIFE IN PENNSYLVANIA, 


75 


Penn wished it to be. The sidewalks were paved with flag- 
stones, which at that time could be found in few cities. In 
1740 the citj^ had about twelve thousand inhabitants, and 
was a very thriving place. 

Modes of Life. — Philadelphia was noted for the abundance 
of its fruit. A German traveller said, in 1748, that the 
peaches were so plentiful that the people fed their pigs on 



OLDEST HOUSE IN GERMANTOWN. 


them. The people in Europe, he said, cared more for their 
turnips than the people in Philadelphia did for their finest 
fruits. 

The shops of the city were only the ordinary houses, with 
something hung over the door to show what was for sale in- 
side. Now you would see a basket, now a beehive, or per- 
haps a wooden anchor, or something else to serve as a sign. 




76 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 


The people were very quiet and sober, and did not care much 
for amusements. There was not much travelling about the 
country, for the roads were very bad. 

Dealings with the Indians. — While William Penn lived 
his colony had no trouble with the Indians. It has been 
said that no drop of Quaker blood was ever shed by an 
Indian. This is not quite true, yet they were long the best 
of friends. But some of William Penn’s successors treated 
the Indians badly, and made them very angry. 

The Indians had sold these men as much land as a man 
could walk over in a day and a half. They supposed that 
this land would be walked over in the usual way ; but instead 
of that an easy route was chosen and some fast walkers were 
trained, who went over a very long distance in the day and 
a half. The Indians said that this was not fair. But the white 
men brought Indians from New York who were enemies of 
the tribe of the Delawares, and who drove them from their 
lands. This was not the way that William Penn would 
have acted, and the Indians never again felt as they had 

done towards the white men. 

Benjamin Franklin. — In 1723 there 
came to Philadelphia a very remark- 
able man. This was the celebrated 
Benjamin Franklin, who was born in 
Boston, but came to Philadelphia 
while he was young. His brother 
had printed a newspaper in Boston, 
and Franklin soon started one in 
Philadelphia, which became one 
of the best in the country. He 
did many other things. He kept a stationer’s shop; he 
bound books ; he made ink ; he sold rags, soap, and cof- 
fee. He was not ashamed to do anything honest, and 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 


LIFE IN PENNSYLVANIA. 


77 


would wheel the papers he sold along the streets in a wheel- 
barrow, which many poorer and less worthy men were too 
proud to do. He was one of the wisest men of the period 
in which he lived. While he was working he was always 
studying, and it was he who proved that lightning is the 
same thing as electricity. He brought the lightning down 



franklin’s grave. 


from the clouds along the string of a kite, and got ao 
electric shock from it. Franklin did much for the progress 
of Philadelphia. He started a university, a hospital, a 
library, and other public institutions. He worked also for 
the good of the whole country. No man did more to help 
America to become free from England, and he was one of 
those who prepared the Constitution of the United States, thaf 


7o 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 


great document which first made a nation of this country. 
Franklin was one of the noblest men the world has ever 
known, and America will never cease to be proud of him. 

X.-THE CAKOLINAS. 

A New Colony. — We have seen how freely King Charles 
II. gave away land in America. He gave New York to 
one person and Pennsylvania to another, and a large 
region, known as the Carolinas, was given by him to eight 
persons, most of whom were noblemen of his court, and 
none of whom had ever seen America. 

I 

Settlers had come to Carolina before this, some from Vir- 
ginia, and others from New England and elsewhere. There 
were many there in 1663 when these noblemen became the 
owners of the land. These eight persons decided to have a 
different kind of government from that of the other colonies. 

They did not believe in freedom, and thought that the 
people were not fit to take care of themselves, as they were 
trying to do in New England. So they concluded to have 
a strong government, in which the people would have noth- 
ing to do but to obey the laws that were made for them. 

The Grand Model Government. — The noblemen went 
to a celebrated philosopher, named .lohn Locke, and asked 
him to draw up a plan of government for them. He did 
so, forming a plan which he called the “ Grand Model.^’ 
There were to be earls and barons in Carolina as there are 
in Europe. These were to own all the land, and to have all 
* the power, and the peopde were to be little better than slaves. 

What the People Did. — This plan might have done very 
well for the Spanish or French colonies, but it would not 
work with the English. The people in Carolina had come 
from places where the settlers owned the land and made the 
laws. They did not understand the Grand Model, and paid 


THE CAROL! NAS. 


79 


nu attention to it, but went on in their own way, took what 
land they wanted, and did not trouble themselves about the 
plans of the distant owners. 

The earls and barons stayed at home and the proprietors 
stayed with them, while the people decided for themselves 
what was best to do, and did it. Settlers came from dif- 
ferent parts of Europe, among them some French Proh 
estants, who had the same belief as those who had come 
to America a hundred years before under Jean Ribault, 
The colony soon became prosperous. 

The Pirates. — There were pirates along the coast who 



A MERCHANTMAN ATTACKED BY A PIRATE. 


gave trouble for many years. They would conceal their 
vessels in the bays and rivers of the coast, and suddenly 
sail out and attack passing ships. It is said that some of 
the settlers helped them. They sunk many vessels and 
murdered many people before they were driven away or 
captured by armed ships. 

Industries. — The rice plant was brought into the colony 
by a vessel from Madagascar. It was planted and became 
a very valuable crop in the southern part of Carolina. In 
the northern part the people made tar and turpentine out 
of the pine-trees, and hunted for bear and beaver skins. 


80 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES, 


Spanish and Indian Wars. — Later on there were wars 
with the Spaniards and the Indians. The people of Carolina 
sent some wm' vessels against St. Augustine in Florida. 
In return the Spaniards stirred up the Indians to make war 
on the settlements. But in the end the Tuscarora Indians, 
with whom thev had the most trouble, were driven out of the 
colony and forced to go to New York, where they joined the 
Iroquois, or Five Nations. 

Division of the Colony. — The proprietors tried to govern 
the people of the Carolinas, but the people wanted to govern 
themselves, so they drove out of the colony, the governor 
sent to them and put the secretary in prison. In the end the 
proprietors got tired of quarrelling with the people and 
asked the king to buy the province from them. 

He did so, and divided the province into two parts, which 
were called North Carolina and South Carolina. This was in 
1729. The people chose their own law-makers, though they 
did not like the governors sent them by the king any more 
than they had done their old ones. But this did not keep 
other people from coming, and the country in time grew 
rich and prosperous. 

XL— LIFE IN VIRGINIA AND CAROLINA. 

The Settlers of Virginia. — The people who settled Vir- 
ginia were of a very different class from those of the 
Northern colonies. They did not come to the New World 
either to work, or to worship God ; nor had they any thought 
of growing rich by trading with the Indians. Most of them 
were English gentlemen, with more pride than money, who 
did not know how to work, and who hoped to get rich by 
finding mines of gold and silver, or in some other easy way. 
Afterwards criminals were sent across the ocean and sold 
for a certain number of years to the colonists. These 


LIFE IN VIRGINIA AND CAROLINA. 


81 


worked for the planters, though it is not likely that they 
were of much use. In time the planters became the rich 
men of Virginia and these servants the poor men. 

In the Early Days. — Captain Smith, as we have already 
said, made everybody work, but he did not stay very long. 
At first, as he says, all the shelter they had was an awning 
made from an old sail, nailed to trees. Then they built 
some rough log houses, whose seats and tables were made of 
planks cut out with an axe. This was very different from 
the way people afterwards lived in Virginia. 

When slaves were brought over and the people began to 
raise tobacco they soon grew more comfortable. Their 
tobacco was sent to England, and goods were sent to them 
in return. For a long time tobacco was used for money. 
One pound of tobacco was worth from two to twelve cents 
of our money, which at that time could buy five or six 
times as much as that amount of money can now. 

Modes of Life. — The settlers soon began to build vessels 
for themselves, and carried on a good trade with England. 
They lived in a different way from the people of the North. 
In travelling you would find few towns or villages, but the 
land was divided up into large plantations, where tobacco 
was the principal crop. Each house stood far from any 
others, and there were a great many negro servants. 

The slaves who worked in the fields lived in a little vil- 
lage of their own. Nearly everything that was used on the 
plantations was made by the slaves, who were taught differ- 
ent trades. There were mills to grind corn and wheat, and 
large sheds to cure tobacco. This tobacco was packed in 
great hogsheads and sent to the coast to be loaded on 
vessels and shipped to England. They had a curious way 
of sending it to the coast. An axle was run through the 
hogshead of tobacco, and shafts fixed to it. Then horses 


82 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 


or oxen would drag it over the roads, the hogshead rolling 
along like a great wheel. 

The Planters. — As time went on there came to be great 
differences in riches. There were more very rich men and 
more very poor ones in the South than in the North. The 
great planters lived like lords. They kept packs of hunting 
dogs and many racing horses, and rode to church or town 
in fine coaches drawn by six horses, and attended by 
riders on horseback. 

The Houses of the Planters. — Their houses were built of 
wood, or of bricks brought from England. These houses 



iiiini iilHiinri 










V.' 









B 


A MANOR HOUSE IN VIRGINIA. 


were often large and grand, with broad stairways and man- 
tels and wainscots of solid mahogany, which was richly 
carved. Gold and silver ware could be seen in abundance 
on the sideboards, and the furniture was rich and showy. 
The planters were very hospitable. Strangers were received 
with a warm welcome, and everything was done to make 
their visits pleasant and agreeable. 

Government. — The planters spent much of their time 
attending to political matters. They carried on the govern- 



LIFE IN Virginia and Carolina 


83 



the law said that a man who stayed away from church three 
times must be put to death. Afterwards the punishment 
for this offence was to be made a slave for a year and a day. 
There were severe laws against swearing and scolding. 
Both men and women might be whipped in public, or placed 
in the stocks. Or they might be made to stand in church 


AN EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN VIRGINIA. 


ment of the colony and became ver}^ aristocratic. There 
were among them men of high education and fine char- 
acter, and afterwards many of the leading statesmen of 
America came from Virgina. The governors of the colony 
were sent from England, and at first the laws were made in 
that country. Afterwards the people were allowed to make 
their own laws. 

Punishments. — The early laws were very severe. Every 
man who stayed away from church was punished. At first 


84 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 


with white sheets over them, or with the name of their 
crime pinned on their breasts. Such laws as these, how- 
ever, did not last long, and were not often carried out. 

Relig-ious Persecution. — The Church of England was the 
established church of Virginia, and members of other 
churches were treated with much severity. The laws for- 
bade Quakers and Catholics to come into the colony. All 
those who came were punished. This made many go to 
Maryland and Carolina, where religion was free; so that 
the severe laws of Virginia helped to fill up these other 
colonies. 

Education. — In 1671, Governor Berkeley, of Virginia, 
wrote, I thank God there are no free schools nor printing- 
presses here, and I hope we shall not have them these 
hundred years.’^ Another governor taxed school-masters 
twenty shillings each. So education did not make much 
progress, and there was no newspaper in Virginia till 1736. 
But William and Mary College, of Virginia, was the second 
in the country ; Harvard College, of Massachusetts, being the 
first. 

North Carolina. — The mode of life all through the South 
was much the same as in Virginia. In many places the land 
was divided into great plantations, worked by slaves, while 
the country was not so thickly settled as in the North. In 
North Carolina the people lived in different ways. Great 
pine woods lay all along the coast region, and the people 
there made tar and turpentine from the trees. Farther back 
the country was more open, and farms were cultivated, while 
many persons spent their time in hunting. The settlers 
Jived far apart, and the only roads they had through the 
woods were paths, with notches cut on the trees to guide 
travellers. This they called blazing their way.’^ 

South Carolina. — South Carolina was much more like 


GEORGIA, 


85 


Virginia. Here great plantations were formed, but rice was 
raised instead of tobacco. Afterwards indigo was culti- 
vated. The planters of South Carolina grew very rich from 
rice and indigo. Farther back, near the mountains, the 
people were poor, the land was divided into small farms, 
and there were many hunters. 

Education.— There were few schools except in Charleston, 
but the rich planters sent their sons to England to be edu- 
cated. The Church of England became the established 
church of the colony, but there were no severe laws against 
people of other beliefs, as in Virginia. The difference in 
the crops and in the climate had much to do with the differ- 
ence in mode of life of the Southern and Northern colonies. 

XII.— GEORGIA. 

Tyranny in Europe. — It is interesting to find that nearly 
all the English colonies in America were formed ar places of 
refuge for the poor and ill-treated people of Eii/ope. In 
our happy days and our free country it is hard for us to 
understand the way men lived and acted in Europe a few 
hundred years ago. People not only could not do as they 
wished to do, but were not even allowed to think as they 
wished to think. 

To-day there are many different ideas about God and 
heaven and religious matters, out then the governments 
tried to make everybody think che same way about these 
matters. This they could not do. People never can be 
made to think the same way about anything. Then the 
governments tried to force them to do so by ill treatment, 
and thousands of men and women came to America to get 
away from those who oppressed them. 

Oglethorpe.— We have told the story of a number of 
colonies that were formed in this way. There is one more 


86 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 


to speak of, the colony of Georgia. This was formed by an 
Englishman named Oglethorpe, one of those warm-hearted 
men who spend their lives in trying to do good to their 
fellow-men. 

The English Prisons. — In those days persons in England 
who failed in business, and could not pay their debts, were 
put in prison, where they were often kept for many years. 
The prisons of old times were filthy dens, where the prison- 
ers were crowded together and treated with great cruelty, 
and many of them died of want and disease. It was these 
poor debtors whom Oglethorpe wished to help ; but he said 
that all who were poor and unfortunate, and all who were 
ill treated on account of their religion, might have a home 
in his colony. 

The Settlement of Georgia. — The king, George II., gave 
him a charter to the land that lay between Carolina and 

Florida, which he called Georgia after 
the king’s name. He brought over a 
number of the poor debtors, whom the 
king set free at his desire. They made 
a settlement where the city of Savan- 
nah now stands. For a whole vear 
Ogletliorpe lived in a tent, set up under 
four pine-trees. The king had given 
him the land; but, like William Penn 
and some others, he thought that the In- 
dians had the best right to it, so he paid 
them for it. After that they were always friendly to him. 

Oglethorpe’s Colonists. — People came to Georgia from 
all parts of Europe. These were the poor of Europe, who 
hoped to live in comfort in America. Among them were 
many Moravians from Austria, — people who had been per- 
secuted on account of their religion. Oglethorpe would 





OGLETHORPE. 


GEORGIA. 


87 


not let any slaves be brought into Georgia. He also would 
not let any person bring rum into the colony. He looked 
on slavery and intemperance as two great evils. 

The Colony Prospers. — Houses were built, and a fort was 
erected to defend the colonists, while the land was divided 
up into farms and given to the settlers. Savannah soon' 
became a town of considerable size and importance. The 
people were on good terms with the Indians, and all went 
well with them. No colony in America ever began with 
better prospects. But they were soon to have their share 
of trouble. 

The Claims of Spain. — The country which the King of 
England had given to Oglethorpe was part of that which 
Spain claimed under the name of Florida. It was the same 
region which Narvaez and De Soto had travelled over two 
hundred years before. So if discovery gave any rights 
this land belonged to Spain rather than to England. But 
the Spanish had not settled it, and the English had, and 
they were not likely to give it up to please Spain. Those 
w^ho had possession did not trouble themselves much about 
an old claim on paper. 

War with Florida. — The Spaniards grew angry on finding 
the English coming into a country which they said was 
theirs. After some years war broke out between England 
and Spain, and then the people of the colonies began the 
cruel work of trying to kill one another. In the year 1740 
Oglethorpe got together an army of one thousand white 
men and many Indians, and marched into Florida to take 
the Spanish city of St. Augustine. But he did not succeed 
and had to march back again, with his men very much 
the worse for their journey. 

Og*lethorpe Defeats the Spanish. — Two vears afterwards 
the Spaniards tried to take Georgia from the English. They 


88 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 


sailed northward with three thousand men and a great 
many vessels, and landed on St. Simon’s Island. Ogle- 
thorpe met them with a much smaller force, but after some 
fighting the Spanish were taken with a panic of terror and 
ran for their ships. They sailed away in all haste and the 
colony was saved. Many years passed before Georgia had 
any more troubles from war. 

After the War. — Some time after this Oglethorpe went 
back to England. The people were not satisfied with the 
laws, some of which were severe and vexatious, and they 
made so many complaints that in time the charter was given 
back to the king, and Georgia became a royal province. 
Oglethorpe never returned to America. He lived to be a 
verj^ old man, and was one of the best men who had any- 
thing to do with the settlement of America. 

The Laws. — One of the laws of which the people com- 
plained stated that no man should own a farm beyond a 
fixed size. Another stated that no woman should have land 
left to her by will. Every man who held land was bound 
to serve as a soldier when called upon, and this was why 
women were not allowed to own it. Everybody was to have 
the rights of an Englishman, and all religions were free 
except the Roman Catholic. 

Industries of the Colony. — The people soon said that they 
could not work their lands in so warm a climate without 
slaves, so after seven years the planters w^ere allowed to have 
them. And rum, which Oglethorpe had forbidden, soon 
made its way into the colony. The people cleared the 
forests and tilled the land with the help of their slaves, and 
after a wRile much silk w^as made in the colony. Silk-worms 
had been sent from England, with people who understood 
silk making, and this business was kept up until the time of 
ithe Revolution. General Oglethorpe took some of the first 


GEORGIA 


89 


silk that was produced to England, and a silk dress was made 
of it for the queen. 

Visitors. — Among the people of Georgia was a settlement 
of the Highlanders of Scotland, and whenever Oglethorpe 
visited them he wore the Highland dress, which gave them 
great pleasure. Soon after Georgia was settled some cele- 
brated English preachers came there. These were John and 
Charles Wesley, the men who started the Methodist doctrine 



OGLETHORPE AND THE CHIEFS. 


in England. George Whitefield, another celebrated Meth- 
odist preacher, also came over. From the money w^hich he 
received for his preaching he founded an ‘‘ Orphan House ” 
in Savannah. 

Dealings with the Indians. — As we have said, Oglethorpe, 
like William Penn in Pennsylvania, Lord Baltimore in 
Maryland, and the Dutch in New York, paid the Indians 


90 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 


for their land. In consequence these colonies had much 
less trouble with the Indians than those which took the 
land without paying for it. 

The Indians of Georgia were called Creeks, because there 
were so many creeks, or small streams, in their country. 
They formed a league of several tribes, and were more 
civilized than the Indians of the North. 

The Chiefs’ Gift. — Some of the chiefs gave Oglethorpe a 
buffalo skin, on the inside of which was a painting of the 
head and feathers of an eagle. They said to him, The 
feathers of the eagle are soft, which signifies love ; the skin 
is warm, and is the emblem of protection ; therefore love 
and protect our little families.’^ 

And they lived up to this saying. All the trouble the 
Georgia people had with the Indians was with those of 
Florida, whom the Spanish stirred up against them. 

XIII.— CONDITION OF THE COLONIES. 

The English Colonies. — We have now told the story of 
the settlement of the English colonies from New Hampshire 
to Georgia. Maine at that time was part of Massachusetts, 
and New Hampshire was the most northerly colony. The 
whole coast land between the French province of Canada 
and the Spanish province of Florida was occupied by Eng- 
lish settlements. 

Each of the English colonies claimed the country from 
the settlements on the coast all the wav to the Pacific Ocean. 

t-' 

But the French also had a claim to the back country, and 
it took some hard fighting later on to decide who should 
own it. 

Growth of the Colonies. — The colonies grew very rapidly. 
In less than one hundred and fifty years after the first settle^ 
ment was made there were a million and a quarter people 


CONDITION OF THE COLONIES. 


91 


in the country. These were divided nearly equally between 
the New England, the Middle, and the Southern colonies. 
The South had more than the others, but not more white 
people. 

Industries. — The people of the colonies were very indus- 
trious. They raised tobacco, rice, indigo, grain and other 
crops, much of which was sent to England to pay for manu- 
factured goods. Rice served for money in South Carolina, 
as tobacco did in Virginia. The colonies in time grew so 



T.E.L 


UMMIg 


rich that they were able to help the 
AN OLD RESIDENCE. King of Eugknd, in his wars, with 

money and ships. Georgia was the 
poorest colony, and the only one to which the king ever 
sent any money to help it. 

The Colonies isolated. — At first the colonies on the coast 
were a long distance apart. Great forests spread between 
them, and it was not easy for a man to get from one to 
another except by ships. So they had not much to do with 



92 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 


one another. The New England colonies were the only 
ones that were close together, and whose people could easily 
reach one another. Thus each colony had a history of its 
own, as if it were a separate country. 

Growing* together. — But the country between them in 
time filled up with people, the woods were cut down, and 
farms were laid out all along the coast and some distance 
into the interior. By 1750 the settlements had grown to- 
gether so that men might travel by land along the whole 
coast and find white men at short distances apart. America 
was now becoming one country, instead of a number of 
separate colonies. 

Land Travelling*. — But a land journey in America then 
was not an easy task. It was not till long afterwards that 
railroads and steamboats came into use. The roads were 
bad, and many of the streams had no bridges, or very poor 
ones, so it was not easy or pleasant to travel on horseback 
or by carriage. There were stage-lines in some places, but 
the stages moved very slowly. Much of the travel continued 
to be by vessels along the coast. 

Difference in Customs. — The people of New England 
were settled more closely than those of the South. Their 
land was broken up into small farms, and more manufactured 
goods were made. In the South there was more land, and 
it was divided into large plantations, so that the people lived 
at a distance apart, and there was less social intercourse 
than in the North. Negro slaves were kept in the whole 
country, but there were more of them in the South than in 
the North, for the great plantations in the South could not 
be worked without them, while there was much less use for 
them on the smaller farms of the North. The warm climate 
of the South also was better suited to them. 

Government. — Each of the colonies had a legislature, or 


QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION 


93 


law-making body, of its own, but only New England elected 
its own governors. Elsewhere the governors were appointed 
by the proprietors or the king, and the people had less to do 
with public affairs. 

Restrictive Laws. — England wanted to keep all the trade 
of the colonies for itself. The people were forbidden to 
send their vessels and goods to any other country than Eng- 
land, or to let the ships of any other country come into 
their ports. And the English wanted to manufacture their 
goods for them also, and to keep the people of America at 
farming. They forbade them to make iron, paper, hats, 
leather, and other things. 

These laws were not well carried out. The people often 
disobeyed them. In after years England tried to enforce 
them, and the people grew angry and rebellious. This was 
one of the things that led to the Revolution. 


PART II.-QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION, 

I. Name the two companies formed to make settlements in America. When 
did they send out colonies ? Where did the Southern colony settle? How 
did the colonists act? How did Captain John Smith make them work? How 
did he save his life among the Indians? What did Pocahontas do ? What 
became of Smith? Describe “the starving time.’ What plant did the 
colonists begin to raise ? When were slaves first brought to America ? How 
did the colonists get wives? Describe the Indian massacre. What caused 
Bacon’s rebellion ? What followed it ? 

II. Why did the Pilgrims leave England ? Holland? Why did they de- 
cide to go to America? What was the name of their vessel? Where did 
they land, and when? Why were they called Pilgrims? How did they 
act? Who was Captain Miles Standish ? What did Canonicus, the Indian 
chief, do ? How were the Indians frightened ? What new settlement wag 
made? What were these colonists called ? What was done with the charter? 
What kind of government was established ? What other colonies were 
formed? How came Roger Williams to found Rhode Island? How were 
religious opinions treated there ? How did the Quakers act in Massachusetts ? 


94 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 


How did the Puritans treat them? What is meant by witchcraft? Describe 
the Salem witchcraft. How many were hanged as witches? What advance 
was made in government? What did Charles II. do about the charters? 
What did James II. do? Tell wliat was done about the Connecticut charter. 
How did the people get rid of royal governors ? 

III. How die? the English treat the Indians? What did the Pequots do? 
Describe the attack on the Pequot fort. What effect had this on the Indians? 
Who was King Philip? What did the Indians do under his influence? 
Describe the attack on the Narragansetts. When and how was Philip killed ? 
What were the results of the war? Why did the French stir up the Indians 
to attack the English? What was the result? Who was Mrs. Dustin? 
How did she escape from the Indians? What was done at Schenectady and 
Deerfield? How did the people protect themselves from the Indians? 

IV. What were the houses of the Puritans like? How were they arranged 
and furnished ? IIow was the sun made to tell the time of day ? How did 
the Puritans dress? What titles were used? What did they have for food? 
What w^ere their ideas about amusements? What punishments did they 
inflict? How were votes taken at the town meetings? What were their 
rules about church-going? How were the churches protected? Why was 
this done? How did the people sit within the church? How did the con- 
stable keep them awake? What industries had the Puritans? What did 
they use for money? What were their vessels used for? Who had to act a& 
soldiers? How were the soldiers armed? What was the mode of travel? 
How did Benjamin Franklin come to Philadelphia? 

V. For what purposes did people come to America? What region did the 
Dutch claim ? How came Adrian Block to spend the winter on Manhattan 
Island? Where did the Dutch settle? How did they act towards the In- 
dians? What did thev trade for? How were thev driven out of Connecti- 
cut? Who sailed up Delaware Bay? From what other country of Europe 
did a colony come to Delaware Bay? How did the Dutch act towards the 
Swedes? What did the Duke of York do? What name did the English give 
to the Dutch town of Few Amsterdam? How was the English rule liked? 
Describe Leisler’s revolt. What proportion of the people of New York 
■were slaves ? What storv was started about them ? How were the slaves 
treated ? 

VI. What kind of houses did the Dutch build? In what condition were 
they kept? How were they furnished? Did the Dutch work hard? What 
were some of their customs? How did they treat their ministers? How 
were the men and women dressed? How did they employ themselves? 
What did they send to Europe? Hoav was the country settled ? What Trere 


QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 


95 


the great land-owners called? Did the farmers own their land? How were 
the estates of the patroons broken up ? 

VII. How were the Catholics treated in England? What did Lord Balti- 
more do? What did he name the land granted him ? What was he to give 
th^king? What did he declare about religion? What brought on disputes ? 
Describe Clayborne’s rebellion. What did the Protestants do? What hap- 
pened after the king took control of the colony? Was it given back to Lord 
Baltimore again ? How did the people of Maryland live ? What did they 
use as monev ? 

VIII. What beliefs and customs did the Quakers have ? How were they 
treated in England? Who was William Penn? How came he to ask the 
king for land in America? What land did the king give him ? What name 
was given it? What does this name mean? When did William Penn come 
to America? What people did he find in his province? What city did he 
lay out? Describe Penn’s treaty with the Indians. How did the Quakers 
and the Indians get on together? What power did Penn give the people? 
How fast did the city of Philadelphia grow ? How was Penn treated by the 
colonists? After whom was the Delaware Biver named? When was the 
colony of Delaware separated from Pennsylvania? Who first settled New 
Jersey? Who bought the land? When did New Jersey get a governor of 
its own ? 

IX. From what nations came the settlers of Pennsylvania ? How was 
Philadelphia laid out? How were the streets paved? How many inhab- 
itants were there in 1740? What is said about fruit? How were the shops 
arranged? What was the character of the people? How were the Indians 
treated ? What trick w^as played to rob them of their land ? What cele- 
brated man came to Philadelphia in 1723? How did he do business? How 
did lie prove that lightning and electricity are the same? What did he do 
for Philadelphia? What service did he perform for the whole country? 

X. To whom did Charles II. give the province of Carolina ? What ideas 
did the proprietors have about the people ? Whom did they ask to draw up 
a plan of government? What was this plan called? How were the people 
to be governed? How did the people act? What class of law-breakers was 
there along the coast? How did they act? Where was the rice plant brought 
from? In what part of Carolina was it raised? What did the people do in 
the northern part? Describe the wars with the Spaniards and Indians. 
What became of the Tuscarora Indians? What troubles took place between 
the people and the governor? What did the proprietors ask the king to do? 
How did the king divide the Carolinas? 

XI. What class of people came to Virginia? What other kind were sent 
there? How did they become divided? How did the people live at first? 


96 


THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 


What was used as money ? What was it worth ? How did the people live 
afterwards? What work did the slaves do on the plantations? How were 
the tobacco hogsheads sent to the coast? How did the great planters live in 
later years? What were their houses like? How were strangers treated ? 
What was the government like? What punishments were inflicted by the 
early laws? What was the established religion of Virginia? How did the 
government act towards other religions? For what did a governor of Vir- 
ginia thank God? Did education make much progress? Which were the 
first two colleges in America? How was the land divided in the South? 
What did the people of North Carolina produce? How did they make their 
way through the woods? What was South Carolina like? What crops 
were raised ? How was education provided for ? 

XII. How were the people of Europe treated a few centuries ago? How 
were debtors treated? For what purpose was the colony of Georgia founded ? 
Who was its founder? How did Oglethorpe live at Savannah ? How did he 
treat the Indians? What classes of people came to Georgia ? What did Ogle- 
thorpe do about slaves and rum? How did the colony prosper? What 
claim was made by Spain ? What did Oglethorpe do ? What success did 
he have? What did the Spaniards do afterwards? What was the fate of 
their expedition? What kind of man was Oglethorpe? What were the 
laws that the people complained of? When were the planters allowed to 
have slaves? Was rum kept out of the colony? What important industry 
was started ? What was done with some of the first silk ? What celebrated 
English preachers came to Georgia? What church did these belong to? 
Were the Indians paid for their land? Why were they called Creeks? 
What did the chiefs give Oglethorpe? Was there any trouble with the 
Indians ? 

XIII. How far back from the coast did the English colonies claim the 
country? What other people claimed the back country ? How rapidly did 
the colonies grow? How was the population divided? What crops were 
raised? How rich did the colonies grow ? Was it easy to get from one colony 
to another? Why not? Which colonies were close together? What had 
happened by 1750? Why were land journeys difficult ? Why was there 
more social intercourse in New England than in the South ? Where were 
negro slaves kept? Why were they most useful in the South? How were 
the governors appointed ? What did England do about trade? What were 
Ihe people forbidden to make? What was the result of these laws? 


THE FRENCH IN AMERICA. 


97 


PART III. 

THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 

I.— THE FRENCH IN AMERICA. 

The English Colonies. — We have told the story of how 
the English came to America and settled along the coast of 
what is now the United States. The colonies they formed 
were not very large. They did not go far back from the 
coast, but their people laid claim to the land across the 
whole country to the Pacific Ocean. 

These claims were made only on paper. Most of the 
country to the west was still in the hands of the Indians ; 
but part of it was held by other white men, people of another 
nation, who had settled on it, and were not likely to give it 
up wfithout a fight. 

The French Settlements. — These people were the French. 
They had forts and settlements along the line of the great 
lakes and down the Mississippi River as far as the Gulf of 
Mexico, and they intended to take possession of the country 
between the lakes and the Ohio River. If this had gone on 
the English would in time have been confined to their settle- 
nicnts along the coast, and the western country would have 
belonged to the French. But before we tell the story of 
what followed we must go back to the early French settlers, 
and relate what they were doing v/hile the English were 
forming their colonies. 

Enterprise of the French. — The French had been more 


98 


THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 


active in exploring the country than the English. We have 
already told of how Champlain made his way far into the 
country of the Iroquois. He also sailed over some of the 
great lakes. Later on there were two things that took the 
French through the country. These were trade and religion. 
The French began early to trade with the Indians, and they 
travelled long distances in search of furs, and built trading- 
houses and forts far away from Quebec. Among them were 
many priests who belonged to the religious society known 
as the Jesuits. These priests wished to make Christians of 
the Indians, and made long journeys for that purpose, though 
they knew that they might be put to death by the savages. 

Marquette’s Discovery. — One of these priests was named 
Marquette. He had spent years among the Indians, and 
knew their languages, and had often heard them speak of a 
mighty western river that ran far to the south. He wanted 
to see this river, and so in the year 1673 he crossed Lake 
Michigan and made his Avay partly by land and partly in 
Indian canoes along little lakes and streams, until he reached 
the Wisconsin River. 

He had with him a friend named Joliet and several others. 
For seven days they floated in canoes down the Wisconsin, 
until, to their joy, they found themselves on the great river 
of the West, the mighty Mississippi. De Soto had discovered 
this river one hundred and thirty years before, and had 
followed it as far north as the State of Alissouri. Marquette 
floated down it until he reached the month of the Arkansas 
River. Then he and his friends turned and paddled their 
canoes up the stream again until they reached the point they 
had started from. 

This was a wonderful journey for that early period. To 
see a few bold and daring men, hundreds of miles away from 
their countrymen, alone among tribes of tierce Indians, toil- 


THE FRENCH IN AMERICA. 


99 


mg througli the forests of the West, and paddling in frail 
canoes along unknown and mighty lakes and streams, was 
to behold what has not often been seen in the history of the 
world. These men had no weapons in their hands. They 
had only the Bible. But Christian love and charity made 
them safer among the savages than if they had carried 
swords and muskets and been clothed from head to foot in 
armor of steel. 

La Salle’s Journey. — The next person to reach the Mis- 
sissippi was a French gentleman, the Chevalier de La Salle. 
He knew what the English and the Spanish were doing, that 
they were taking possession of the Kew World, and he made 
up his mind that the French should own the great western 
country. So he got together a body of men, and began to 
explore the land beyond Lake Michigan, and to build forts 
and leave soldiers in them. He had many battles with the 
Indians, but he was not to be turned from his purpose. 

At last he started on the great journey which he had long 
had in mind. AVith a party of French and Indians he 
crossed the country, paddling along the streams and car- 
rying the canoes through the forests, until he reached the 
Mississippi. 

It was then the year 1682, something more than two 
hundred years ago. Down the great stream they went, 
among tribes which had never before seen a white man. 
Everywhere La Salle took possession of the country for the 
King of France. In time they reached the mouth of the 
Mississippi, and there La Salle laid claim to all the vast 
country drained hj that mighty stream and by all the streams 
that ran into it. This countrv he named Louisiana, and 
declared that it belonged to France, and to the king, 
Louis XIV. 

La Salle’s Later Life. — Then they went up the river again 


100 


THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 


until tiiey reached their starting-point. La Salle now re- 
turned to France, where every one looked on him as a hero. 
The king gave him ships and men to plant a colony at the 
mouth of the Mississippi, and the adventurers sailed joy- 
fully away. 

But their journey ended very sadly. Tliey could not find 
the ^Mississippi, and landed at a place in Texas. Here La 
Salle built a fort, and then started with part of the men 
towards the Mississippi. The journey was a terrible one. 
The river was reached, and La Salle tried to make his way 
to Canada for help, but on the way he was killed by some 
of his men. And so ended the life of one of the greatest 
of American explorers. 

The End of the Colony.- -Some of the men got to Canada 
and told their story, and a party was sent to Texas to save 
those in the fort. But when they got there the men were 
dead and the fort was a ruin. The Spaniards had found 
them and put them all to death. This was the sad end of 
La Salle’s great enterprise. 

Succeeding* Events. — But the French were not discour- 
aged. Another colony was sent out in 1699 to make a set- 
tlement near the mouth of the Mississippi, and before many 
years New Orleans and other towns were laid out. These 
towns were very far away from the French settlements on the 
St. Lawrence River. Thousands of miles of land and water 
lay between them. Yet nearly the whole distance might be 
travelled by water along the great lakes of the North, the 
Mississippi River, and the streams which ran into it. The 
active French traders were not afraid to make long journeys, 
and many of them travelled the whole way from Quebec to 
New Orleans. 

The French explorers established military posts at many 
points along this: great water-way. Traders settled around 


GEORGE WASHINGTON. 


101 


the forts and priests built churches near by, so that in time 
there was a little settlement at each fort. 

The Valley of the Ohio. — All this went on for fifty years. 
Cities now stand where many of the French forts were built. 
But at that time there were not many French in America. 
In 1750 there were fifteen times as many English as French 
in the New World. In the country east of the Mississippi 
and south of the great lakes there were only about seyen 
thousand fiye hundred Frenchmen. 

The English were now making their way to the West. A 
company was formed, called the Ohio Company, to buy up 
land and get settlers to moye westward. The lands of this 
company lay in Western Pennsylyania. 

When the French saw what the English were doing they 
were alarmed. They were afraid they would lose the 
country if they did not make haste. So they built a strong 
fort on Lake Erie, where the city of Erie now stands. It 
became clear that before long they would haye forts on the 
Ohio Riyer. 

Danger in the Air. — It was plain enough now that there 
would be trouble. The great riyals had adyanced till they 
were near together. Both of them claimed to own the 
Valley of the Ohio. They were beginning a race to see who 
should first get possession of it, and that race could not go 
on yery long before the dreadful work of war would begin. 
Whether the French or the English should own the great 
basin of the Ohio and the Mississippi was soon to be settled 
by the sword and the cannon, and by the death of thou- 
sands of men. 

II._GE0EGE WASHINGTON. 

Early Wars. — There had been fighting in America be- 
tween the Eno:lish and French tv/o or three times before. 

O 


102 


THE FRENCH AND lEDIAN WAR. 


Every time a war broke out in Europe between these nations 
the settlers in America began to kill one another. In these 
wars most of the fighting was done by the Indians. We 
have already told how they attacked the settlements in Ifew 
England and New York, and murdered the people. 

The Action of Virginia. — But now a war was to have its 
beginning in America. The French and English stood face 
to face, like two dogs ready to fly at each other’s throats. It 
was not long l>efore the struggle began. Virginia claimed 
the country to which the French were sending their pioneers, 
and the Governor of Virginia made up his mind to ask them 
what they were doing, and to tell them that the land they 
were on belonged to his colony. 

George Washington. — He soon picked out a messenger 
for this duty. This was a young man named George Wash- 
ington, who was only a little over twenty-one years old. He 
had been born in 1732, and it was now 1753. But he was 
known to be active and prudent. He had been a land sur- 
veyor, and was used to hardship. So Washington was 
chosen to go to the West and ask the French why they had 
built the fort at Presque Isle, and what they intended to do, 
and to warn them that they were on English land. 

George Washington was born to be a great man, and he 
showed this while he was still a boy. Among his school- 
mates he was the same as he was among his countrymen 
afterwards. He settled all their disputes, and he would not 
let anything take place that was not just and fair. What- 
ever he had to do he did well. The books of exercises which 
he wrote at school are remarkable for their neatness and 
carefulness. When he was older he became a land surveyor, 
and his surveys are among the most accurate ever made. 
Later in life he managed his own lands, packed and shipped 
bis own tobacco and flour, and kept his own books. His 


GEORGE WASHINGTON. 


103 


books may still be seen. They were wonderfully well kept. 
As a boy and a man Washington was strictly honest and 
truthful. When his flour came into foreign ports the gov- 
ernment agents did not inspect it. His name on the barrel 
was enough. It was well known that there was no lie in the 
Washington stamp. It would be well for the country if all 
public men would stamp their characters with the Washing- 
ton stamp. This young man was destined to do a great 
work for America. We have now the first part of his public 
life to describe, but his name will come again into our work 
farther on. 

Washington’s Journey. — The journey from Virginia to 
Lake Erie was a difflcult one, for the country was wild and 

without roads, and it was the cold winter season. Washing- 

• 

ton went up the Potomac River till he reached the streams 
that flow into the Ohio. He followed these till he met the 
French commander. The Frenchman treated him very 
politely, but would not promise to leave the country. This 
was the word that Washington brought back to Virginia. 

The journey back was terrible ; much of it lay through 
the wild wintry forest. The rivers were full of broken ice, 
and had to be crossed on rafts. In crossing the Alleghany 
River, Washington was thrown into the water, and had to 
spend the night on an island, wet through and nearly frozen. 
At last he got back home with the answer of the French 
commander. 

Fort Du Quesne. — Both sides saw that no time was to be 
lost. The French sent pioneers towards the Ohio. The 
Ohio Company decided to build a fort at a point which 
Washington had picked out. This was where the two 
rivers that form the Ohio come together, and where the city 
of Pittsburg now stands. As the French were so busy 
building forts, the English thought they ought to build some 


104 


THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 


too, SO they sent a party for this purpose. But when the 
French saw wliat was beino; done they drove the Ensrhsh 
Avorknien away and finished the fort themselves. They 
gave it the name of Fort Du Quesne. That was the first 
step that led to the severe war that followed. 

Fort Necessity. — At this time Washington was marching 
to^vards the place with about four hundred men who had 



WASHINGTON CKOSSING THE ALLEGHANY RIVER. 


oeen enlisted in Virginia. A party of French soldiers came 
forward to meet him, and there was a fight in which Wash- 
ington was victorious. But he was in a dangerous position, 
so he built a small fort which he called Fort Necessity. The 
fort was soon surrounded by a large body of French and 
Indians, and the Virginians had to surrender. This took 
place on July 4, 1754. The English force went back to 



GEORGE WASHINGTON. 


105 


Virginia, where the people were much pleased with the skill 
and prudence of Washington, and the governor gave him 
the chief command of the Virginia soldiers. 

England and France. — During this time the English and 
French were at peace in other lands. The tirst part of the 
war was fought by the people of America only. But soon 
England and France were at war in Europe and began to 
send soldiers across the ocean to help the colonists. An 
army was sent to the disputed territory, under an officer 
named General Braddock. 

General Braddock. — This general knew very well how to 
carry on war in Europe, but he knew nothing at all about 
fighting with the Indians, and he was too proud to let any 
one tell him. So he and his army, with some Virginians 
under Washington, set out to drive the French from Fort 
Du Quesne. 

They marched slowly through the Avoods, making roads 
as they went, and Avasting a great deal of time. By the 
time they got near the French fort scA^eral months had 
passed. Yet there Avere not many French there, and the 
Indians AA^ere not in a very good humor for fighting : so if 
Braddock had acted with common prudence he might soon 
have had the fort. But he kneAV too much to listen to ain^- 
body, and he soon got his army into trouble. 

Braddock’s Defeat. — Washington Avanted to go ahead 
%uth his Virginians and drive the Indians from the Avoods; 
but Braddock Avould not let him, and he marched on, AAutli 
banners flying and drums beating, until his army Avas in a 
deep ravine Avith steep banks and thick woods on each side. 
These woods were full of French and Indians in ambush. 

Suddenly the hidden enemy began to fire. The soldiers 
were taken completely by surprise, and fell dead and 
wounded on every side. The Virginians under Washing- 


106 


THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 


ton knew what they were about, and got behind trees to 
tight; but Braddock would not let his soldiers do the same 
thing, but kept them in their ranks and made them stand 
^till to be killed. They tired blindly into the woods, but 
did no harm to their foes, while hundreds of them were 
slain. When they could stand this no longer they turned 
and fled for their lives. Washino;ton with his Virginians 
kept back the enemy, or many more of the British soldiers 
would have been slaughtered. It was the most terrible 
defeat in the early history of America. 

The Result of the Battle. — The battle had lasted three 
hours, and seven hundred out of twelve hundred were killed. 
Braddock was mortally wounded, and all his oflicers were 
killed or wounded. Washington was the only otflcer that 
was not hurt, and he had two horses shot under him and 
four bullets through his coat. Long afterwards an old 
Indian chief said that he had fired many times at Washing- 
ton during the battle, but that the young American brave 
bore a charmed life and could not be touched by his 
bullets. 

The Indian Raids. — This defeat was a serious one for the 
colonies. The Ohio region was left to the French, while 
the Indians, who thought the English cowards, began to 
attack the settlements and murder all they could. All 
through the western part of Virginia the people had to flee 
for safety ; their houses were burned, and the rifle and the 
tomahawk brought death to many of them. Washington 
was kept busy in fighting with the savage foes, and did this 
with o;reat skill and courao;e, but he had a difficult task. 

The Fort captured. —Three years afterwards Washington 
was sent again to take Fort Bu Quesne. By this time the 
French had got the worst of the war, and when the French 
commander saw the Eno;lish comino; near he did not wait 


THE WAR IN THE NORTH. 


107 


for them. He marched his men out of the fort and left it 
to Washington to take possession. 

The contest for the Valley of the Ohio ended in victory 
for the English. The French gave it up to their opponents, 
and never laid claim to it again. It was during this time 
that Washington learned the art of war, of which he was 
to make such excellent use in the coming war of the 
Revolution. 


II1._THE wak in the nokth. 

The Capture of Louisburg*. — The war which had begun 
on the Ohio soon spread to other parts of the country. 



THE SIEGE OF LOUISBURG. 


There was much hard fighting in the North between New 

o o 

York and New England and the French settlements in 


108 


THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 


Canada. The British fleet also took part in the war. The 
French had a very strong fortress at the town of Louisburg, 
on the island of Cape Breton. They thought that no force 
could capture it, hut they were mistaken in this. It was 
captured in 1745 by a body of Jlew England soldiers. At 
the end of that war it was given back to the French, but in 
1758 it was again attacked by a strong English fleet and 
forced to surrender. The English never gave it up again. 

Acadia. — The country which we now know as ^7ova 
Scotia and TIew Brunswick was called Acadia bv the 

t/ 

French. It was settled by people of French descent, many 
of whom had fine farms, and others lived by hunting and 
trapping. The peninsula of J7ova Scotia had been taken 
from the French bv the English in 1710, and was still held 
by them ; but it had very few English settlers, and its peo- 
ple did not like to be under English rule. 

The northern part of Acadia was still held by the French, 
and when the war began they built several forts on the Bay 
of Fundy, and got ready to try and drive the English from 
the country. But the English attacked these forts and took 
them all. While the fighting was going on many of the 
Acadians helped the French. The English did not like this. 
They said that they would not have spies and enemies in 
their own land, and that the people must take the oath of 
allegiance to England, and be ready to fight in the English 
armies if they should be needed. 

This the Acadians would not do. All their feelings were 
with the French, and they would not help the English. 
Then the English said that they should be all sent out 
of the country, since they would not submit to the gov- 
ernment. 

The Acadians expelled. — Many of the Acadians were 
quiet and good citizens, but all who could be found were 


THE WAR IN THE NORTH 


109 


marched to the sea-shore and put on board ships and sent 
away to the different English colonies. Some of them 
fought with the English and drove them away, but several 
thousand were taken from their homes and sent to live 
amono; strangers. Their houses were burned and their 
farms ruined to keep them from coming back. 

This was a very cruel act. The English had reason to be 
angry with those Acadians who acted as spies and enemies ; 
but most of the people were quiet and industrious, and all 
their crime was that they would not take an oath to bear 
arms against their countrymen. In time many of those 
who had been sent away returned and took the oath of 
allegiance to England ; but others suffered many hardships, 
and died in foreign lands. 

From Canada to New York. — We have spoken in a 
former chapter of the great water-way by which the French 
could get from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. There is 
another water-way, that which leads from the St. Lawrence 
River to Lake Champlain and Lake George, and by way 
of the Hudson River to New York Bay. It was this route 
that Champlain had taken when he first set out to fight 
the Indians, and it was along these bodies of water that the 
remainder of the fighting took place. 

The French Defences. — The French had built forts along 
the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, and also at Crown 
Point, at the southern end of Lake Champlain, and at Ti- 
conderoga, at the northern end of Lake George. From 
these points they could easily send soldiers into New York 
and New England, so the English decided to try to take the 
forts. 

The Battle of Lake George. — The English army in New 
York was led by General Johnson. There were many In- 
dians with it, for the Iroquois tribes had hated the French 


110 


THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 


ever since they had fought with Champlain. While John- 
son was marching north the French were marching south, 
and the two armies met at the southern end of Lake George. 
Here a battle took place in which the French were badly 
defeated. Hundreds of them were killed and the rest 
driven back. Johnson did not go on to capture the French 
forts, but stayed where he was, and built a fort which he 
called William Henrv. 

The French Successes. — During the next two or three 
years the French were everywhere successful. They cap- 
tured Fort William Flenry in 1757, and a terrible event 
took place there. The English were promised their lives if 
they would give up the fort, but as soon as they marched 
oiit the Indians fell upon them with tomahawk and scalping- 
knife and murdered many of them in cold blood. The 

t/ 

French did nothing to save them. This was one of the most 
shameful massacres in American history. 

Attack on Ticonderoga. — The next year General Aber- 
crombie attacked Fort Ticonderoga with a strong army. 
But the French defended themselves bravely, and the Eng- 
lish were forced to retreat in haste, after they had lost two 
thousand men. 

The Turning of the Tide. — The war had now lasted for 
four years, and the French had been successful at nearly 
ever}^ point. They had held their forts on Lake Champlain 
and Lake George, and on the Ohio, and had defeated the 
English in nearly every battle. The English were much the 
stronger in numbers, and all they needed was good leaders. 
With these they would be sure to gain the victory. 

In the year 1758 the tide turned. The English took sev- 
eral of the French forts, and in 1759 took several others. 
Ticonderoga ’and Crown Point were taken, and also the 
forts on Lake Ontario and the Niagara River. The French 


THE WAR IN THE NORTH. 


in 


were driven out of what the English claimed as their terri- 
tory, and were confined to Canada. The English next made 
up their minds to try to drive the French from Canada. 

The Siege of Quebec. — Canada had two important cities, 
Montreal and Quebec. Quebec was not easy to capture. 
It was built on the top of a high and steep hill, and was 
surrounded with strong walls, behind which were more 
than eight thousand men, commanded by the Marquis de 
Montcalm. 

General Wolfe led an army of eight thousand men against 
this city, and for two or three months tried to take it, but 



THE HEIGHTS OF QUEBEC. 


he could not even get to the top of the hill on which it was 
built. At length he learned that there was a narrow path 
up the face of the bluff. One dark night he took his men 
in boats down the St. Lawrence Eiver, and by the break of 
day they had climbed up this steep path and dragged their 
cannon to the top of the hill. 

The Capture of the City. — Montcalm was astonished 
when he saw the English army before the walls of the city. 
If he had stayed behind these walls it is not likely they 


112 THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 

could have taken it. But he hastily led his men out, think- 
ing he could drive the English over the precipice before 
they all got up the hill. He was sadly mistaken. In the 
battle that followed the English gained a complete victory 
and Quebec fell into their hands. 

General Wolfe received a mortal wound, and as he lay 
dying he heard loud cries of They fly ! they fly V Who 
fly?” he asked. The French,” was the answer. God be 
praised!” he replied. ‘‘1 die happy.” Montcalm also fell, 
and when told that he must die, he said, So much the 
better; I shall not live to see the surrender of Quebec.” 

End of the War. — Montreal was ta.ken the next year, and 
soon the war came to an end. A treaty was made between 
England, France, and Spain in 1763, by which France gave 
up to England all the country east of the Mississippi River, 
and to Spain all the country west of it. This was a great 
event for the English colonies. North America now 
belonged to two nations only, England and Spain. 

Pontiac’s Rebellion. — The French in Canada made some 
further trouble. There was a bold and brave Indian chief 
named Pontiac, who tried to drive the English back from 
the Oliio and the lakes, and perhaps from the whole country. 
The French secretly incited him to this. He made a league 
between several tribes, and a sudden attack was made on 
the English forts. 

They took one fort by the trick of playing a game of 
ball before it. When the ball fell near the gate of the fort 
they rushed after it and into the open gate, near which sat 
their squaws, with tomahawks hidden under their blankets. 
These the warriors seized and killed nearly all the soldiers. 
The fort at Detroit was besieged for flve months, and then 
the Indians gave up the siege. Several other forts were 
taken, but in the end the Indians were everywhere defeated. 


QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 


113 


This was the end of the French and Indian war, which 
had continued, at intervals, for seventy-five years. The 
English were everywhere victorious, and were now to have 
a few years of rest from war. 


PART III.-QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 

I. How far back from the coast did the English colonies extend ? How far 
did their claims extend ? Who held the back country ? Where had the French 
forts and settlements ? What were their intentions ? What two things induced 
the French to explore the country ? For what purpose did the traders 
travel? For what purpose the Jesuits? What did Marquette wish to do? 
Describe his journey. Did the priests need weapons to protect them from the 
Indians ? Who, after Marquette, sought to explore the Mississippi ? What 
else did he wish to do ? In what year did he reach the Mississippi ? Describe 
his journey. How was La Salle received in France ? Where did his colony 
land ? What became of him ? What was the fate of the colonv ? Where 
did the French make a settlement in 1699 ? What city was laid out? How 
could the French get from Quebec to New Orleans ? How were settlements 
formed along the route ? How many more English than French were in 
America in 1750? What was the object of the Ohio Company? Where 
did the French build a fort ? For what purpose ? What did both the rival 
peoples claim ? How was the dispute to be settled ? 

II. What did the Governor of Virginia decide to do ? Whom did he select 
as messenger? How old was Washington then? Why was he chosen? 
What was he to say to the French ? What can we say about the school-life 
of Washington ? What did he do in older life ? How were his books kept? 
How was his flour received in foreign lands ? Describe Washington’s journey. 
How did the French commander act? Describe Washington’s return. What 
did the Ohio Company decide to do ? What did the French do ? How and 
with whom did the first flght take place ? Why did Washington build Fort 
Necessity ? What followed? What general did England send to America? 
What did he know about war? Describe his march. What did Washington 
want to do ? How did Braddock lead his army on ? Describe the battle and 
defeat. Was Washington hurt? What did an old Indian chief say about 
him? What followed this defeat? When was Fort Du Quesne taken? By 
whom ? What did this war teach Washington ? 

III. When was Louisburg captured the first time ? When the second 
time? What was the country of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick called by 


114 


THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 


the French? What part of it was taken by the English in 1710? What 
part was still held by the French? What success did the English gain? 
What did they ask the Acadians to do? Why did the Acadians refuse? 
What then did the English resolve to do ? Tell how the Acadians were ex- 
pelled. AVhat is said about this act ? Why was it cruel ? What water-way 
leads from Canada to New York ? Where did the French build forts ? What 
was the result of the battle of Lake George? What fort did General Johnson 
build ? When was this fort captured by the French ? What terrible event 
took place ? Describe Abercrombie’s attack on Ticonderoga. .How long were 
the French successful ? When did the tide of success turn ? What successes 
had the English? Which were the two important cities of Canada? How 
was Quebec defended? Who led an army against it? How did lie get his 
men to the summit of the bluff ? What did Montcalm do ? Who gained 
the victory ? What happened to General Wolfe ? What were his last words ? 
What were Montcalm’s last words? What did England gain by the treaty 
of peace ? What did Pontiac hope to do ? Describe his attacks on the forts. 
Were there any more French and Indian wars? 




THE TYRANNY OF ENGLAND. 


115 


PART IV. 

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

I.— THE TYKANNY OF ENGLAND. 

The Story of the Revolution. — The story we have now 
to tell is one that every American should hear with pride. 
It is the story of how the people of America were ill treated 
by England, and how they declared they would not submit 
to be made slaves of, and fought bravely until they gained 
their liberty. They suffered dreadfully, and thousands of 
them lost their lives, but they would not yield, and struggled 
on and on until England was forced to give up the war and 
sign a treaty of peace with free America. This is what is 
known as the American Revolution. 

The Navigation Acts. — What was this bad treatment of 
the Americans ? That is what we have next to tell. They 
were ill used in a good many ways. Governors had been 
sent to them from England, and some of these acted as if 
they were kings and the people slaves. But what made the 
Americans most angry was that they were not allowed to 
trade where they pleased or make the articles they needed 
for their own use. They had built many ships, and for a 
while they sent out their goods to foreign countries and got 
other goods in return. 

But the merchants of England did not like this. Thej 
wanted this trade for themselves. So they had laws passed 
which said that the Americans should not trade with any 


116 


THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 


country but England. All their rice, tobacco, and other 
products must be sent there and whatever they wanted in 
return must be brought from there. But the English would 
not pay as much for these goods as other countries, so the 
Americans lost much of their profit. 

Then another law was made which said that no goods 
should be carried to or from England in American ships. 
All trade with England must be done in English ships. 
The American ships might rot at their wharves. Even the 
trade from one colony to another was partly stopped. 

Restriction of Manufactures. — At the same time the peo- 
ple of America were not allowed to make anything for them- 
selves. There was much iron dug from the mines, but it 
must all be sent to England, and pay a tax for going there. 
Then it was made into useful articles and sent back, and 
had to pay another tax. It was the same with other goods 
than those made of iron. The laws became so severe that 
a farmer could not even cut down a large tree on his own 
land without permission from the officers of the king. 

At first the laws were not so strict as this. But as time 
went on, and the English merchants and manufacturers saw 
that the Americans were growing rich, they had the laws 
made more severe, until the Americans were allowed to do 
very little besides farming, and had to get everything but 
their food from England, in English ships. 

The Laws evaded. — All this was hard to bear. When 
men have a chance to grow rich they do not like to work 
hard to make other men rich, while they stay poor. Many 
of the people of America refused to submit to the English 
laws. Some of them made and sold goods in spite of the 
laws. Others who owned ships sent them to foreign coun- 
tries, and brought back goods on which no tax or duty was 
paid to the government. 


THE TYRANNY OF ENGLAND. 


117 


This is what is called smuggling. The officers of the 
government tried to put a stop to it. A law was passed 
which said that the king’s officers might enter and search 
any house where they thought that smuggled goods were 
hidden. The papers authorizing this were called “Writs 
of Assistance.” Nothing could have made the people more 
angry than this. They said that “ every man’s house is his 
castle,” and that no officer had a right to enter a dwelling- 
house on mere suspicion. Thus, as every one may see, 
there was getting to be bad feeling between the Americans 
and the English. 

The Bight of Taxation. — But the resistance of the people 
only made the English government more severe. As the 
merchants and manufacturers of England were growing 
rich from the labor of the Americans, the government 
thought it also ought to have more American money than 
it was receiving. The French and Indian war had cost 
England a great deal of money, and the English government 
claimed that as this money had been spent for the good of 
the colonies, they should help to pay it back. The colonies 
were paying much money to it already in the way of the 
duty on all goods sent by ships into or out of the country. 
This was an indirect tax, but the government claimed that 
it had the right to lay a direct tax also. 

The American Eeply. — The people of the colonies an- 
swered that they were willing to tax themselves and pay 
the money to the government, but that no one else had the 
right to tax them. They Avould not pay taxes levied by the 
English Parliament, because they had no one to speak for 
them in that Parliament. If the government wanted to tax 
them it should let them send representatives to look after 
their interests. 

The Principle of Taxation. — All this was reasonable. 


118 


THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 


Every Englishman at home claimed that right, and the 
Americans thought they ought to have it too. But the gov- 
ernment would not listen to them. It had made up its 
mind to treat them as slaves, and force them to pay what 
taxes it pleased without giving them a voice in the making 
of the laws. The rulers of England did not know what 
they were doing. They had no idea how strongly the 
Americans were set against tyranny. They Avere soon to 
find out. 

The Stamp Act. — The first direct tax law Avas passed in 
1765. It AA^as galled the Stamp Act,’’ and declared that all 
legal papers draAvn in America, such as deeds, bills, con- 
tracts, and the like, must be made on stamped paper, which 
paper Avas to be sold by the tax collectors. There was noth- 
ing very AATOiig in this. LaAVS of this, kind have long existed 
in England. We have had them in the United States, and 
have paid the tax cheerfully. It Avas the way the laAV Avas 
passed that made all the trouble. It Avas as if England had 
said, We intend to tax you Avhen and how we please, and 
you shall have nothing to do Avith it except to pay the 
taxes.” This AA^'as the beginning of the dispute which in 
ten years Avas to bring the country into Avar. 

The Avhole people grcAV angry Avhen they heard of this laAv. 
They said that they had had nothing to do Avith making 
it and that they Avould not submit to it. Patrick Henry, a 
great orator of Virginia, declared that the people, and only 
the people, had a right to tax the people. They could vote 
taxes in their oavii assemblies, if they AA^ere asked to, but no 
other body of laAA^-makers had the right to vote taxes for 
them to pay. 

Repeal of the Stamp Act. — The stamps were sent to 
America, but the people Avould not use them. In some places 
they burned them. In others they forced the stamp oflicers 


THE TYRANNY OF ENGLAND, 


119 


to resign, or made images of them and burned these images 
before their doors. They declared that till the act was re- 
pealed they would not use English goods, but would make 
their own. They would all wear homespun clothes, and 
would eat no mutton, so that they could have more wool to 
weave into cloth. 

Agents were sent to London to try and have the Stamp 
Act repealed. Benjamin Franklin was one of these. He 
did much to let the members of Parliament know how the 
American people felt. In 1766 the Stamp Act was repealed, 
because it was clear that it could not be enforced. No 
American would buy a sheet of the stamped paper. 

Soldiers sent to America. — In 1767 taxes were laid on 
tea, glass, paints, and other articles, and soldiers were sent 
to America to force the people to pay these taxes. The 
Americans were also ordered to pay for the support of these 
soldiers. They answered that this was not just. They did 
not want to be treated like a nation that had been conquered 
in war. Their protest made the king very angry, and he 
sent two regiments of soldiers to Boston to support the tax 
officers. This was done because the people of Boston were 
very violent against the new taxes. The presence of the 
soldiers made them more angry still, and disputes and quar- 
rels arose between the people and the soldiers. One day, in 
1770, a fight took place between some soldiers and a party 
of the citizens of Boston. The soldiers fired and several 
persons were killed. This added much to the angry feel- 
ing of the people. They called this affair the Boston 
Massacre,’’ and as the news of it spread over the country 
the colonists everywhere began to think of fighting for their 
rights. 

The Tax on Tea. — For several years things went on in 
this way, the people growing more angry with the English 


120 


THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 


government. As they would not pay the taxes, Parliament 
tried another plan. They took off all the taxes except a 
small one on tea. This was such a trifle that they thought 
no one would object to it. They did not perceive that it was 
not the money that the Americans cared for, but the princi- 
ple. As soon as the tax was laid the colonists refused to 
buy tea; though they had before used a great deal of it. 

The Boston Tea-Party. — Then the king, George III., 
made up his mind to force them to take the tea. Ship-loads 

of it were sent to all the American ports. 
But the people, who were then using the 
leaves of various plants to make tea of, 
would not have the Eno^lish tea. In New 
York and Philadelphia the captains were 
ordered to take their tea back again to 
England. In Charleston the tea was 
stored in damp warehouses, where it soon 
moulded and became useless. In An- 
napolis the tea was burned. In Boston 
the governor refused to send back the 
tea, but the people would not let it be 
unloaded. At last a party of young men 
dressed like Indians ran to the wharves, 
rushed on board the vessels, broke open 
the chests, and emptied all the tea into 
the harbor. This is what has been called 
the Boston Tea-Party.” It put an end to the effort of 
Parliament to tax the Americans. 

The Boston Port Bill. — When the news of this act reached 
England the king was furious, and it was determined that 
Boston should be severely punished. So a bill was passed 
called the Boston Port Bill.” It forbade any vessel to enter 
or leave Boston, except those with wood or provisions, and 



THE WORK OF THE MINUTE-MEN. 


121 


even these had trouble to get in. The whole trade of the 
port was cut off, and the town was so full of soldiers that 
the law could easily be carried out. 

Threats of War. — ^This law took effect on June 1, 1774. 
It made the people of the whole country very indignant. 
Provisions and money were sent to Boston from all the colo- 
nies. Instead of the Americans being frightened, they were 
more determined than ever. It began to look as if it must 
all end in war, and the people got their arms ready, and 
drilled, and formed companies ready to march at a minute’s 
warning. These were called Minute-Men.” In Septem- 
ber, 1774, all the colonies sent delegates to Philadelphia, to 
meet and talk over the troubles. This assembly was called 
the First Continental Congress. It sent an address to the 
king, and advised the people to stop all trade with England 
till the tax laws were repealed. It declared- that the people 
of America had the right to govern and to tax themselves, 
and that they would not submit to force, but would defend 
themselves against oppression. Such was the state of the 
country at the beginning of the year 1775. 

II.— THE WOKK OF THE MINUTE-MEN. 

Growth of the Colonies. — W e have next to describe the 
greatest event in American history, that by which the peo- 
ple of America became free, and began their growth from 
a group of weak colonies into one of the noblest nations on 
the face of the earth. 

It was now a little more than a hundred and fifty years 
since the English had first settled in America. In that cen- 
tury and a half the colonies had grown to be strong and were 
becoming united. There were more than two millions of 
people in them, and they were fast growing rich and pros- 


122 


THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 


perous. Since the close of the French and Indian war they 
had made great progress. 

Ten Years of Tyranny. — In 1765 no one in America 
thought of becoming free from England. In 1775 most of 
the people of the country wanted to become free. That was 
what England had done in ten years by trying to make 
slaves of the Americans. 

The Feeling- of the People. — At the opening of the event- 
ful year 1775, Boston was the centre of the troubles. The 
king had ruined its business, taken from many of its people 
the means of living, and filled it with soldiers. But all 
through New England the people were getting ready to fight, 
drilling as soldiers, and collecting arms, gunpow^der, and 
other warlike articles in convenient places. The whole coun- 
try was like a barrel of gunpowder, ready to explode if fire 
touched it. We have now to tell how the English applied 
tlie fire. 

The Stores at Concord. — The Americans had collected 
some military stores at the town of Concord, near Boston. 
General Gage, who commanded the soldiers in Boston, 
determined to destroy these. So one night he sent out a 
body of troops to march secretly to Concord and destroy 
them before the people could know what was being done. 
He did not understand the spirit of the people he was deal- 
ing with. It is very easy to throw a stone into a hornets’ 
nest, but it is not so easy to get away from the stings of the 
hornets. This General Gage was soon to find out. 

Paul Revere’s Ride. — The people of Boston were watch- 
ing the soldiers. They had some idea of the plans of the 
British, and were ready for them. As soon as the troops 
began to move a signal light was hung in a church window. 
On the other side of the river a man named Paul Revere 
was watching for this light. The moment he saw it he 


THE WORK OF THE MINUTE-MEN. 


123 



mounted his horse and rode at full speed through the coun- 
try. At every house and village he woke . the people and 
told them the British 
were coming. At once 
the men seized their 
rifles and powder- 
horns and hastened to 
the appointed place of 
meeting. By daybreak 
a party of them were 
collected in the vil- 
lage of Lexington, on 
the road to Concord. 

Samuel Adams and 
John Hancock, two 
of the patriot leaders, 
were at Lexington, 
and the British oflBl- 
cers had orders to ar- 
rest them. But they 
were warned by Re- 
vere and made their 
escape before the 
troops arrived. 

The Fight at Lexington. — The soldiers reached Lexington 
about four o’clock in the morning of April 19, 1775. There 
were two or three hundred of them, and they found about 
sixty armed farmers drawn up on the green. Disperse, ye 
rebels,” cried the English offlcer. Lay down your arms 
and disperse.” Then the soldiers fired, and seven of the 
Americans fell dead. Others were wounded. That was the 
first bloodshed in the Revolutionary war. With that fire 
of musketry began the war that was to set America free. 


PAUL REVERE’S RIDE. 



THF KETREAT- FROM CONCORD 


THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 


124 



THE WORK OF THE MINUTE-MEN. 


125 


The Retreat from Concord. — The soldiers hurried on to 
Concord, where they destroyed all the supplies they could 
find. But the Americans had been busy during the nisdit 
carrying their stores to the woods. A strong force of mim 
ute-men had gathered at Concord. The British fired on 
these and the Americans fired back. Several of the soldiers 
were killed and wounded, and the others retreated in 
disorder. 

But it was when the soldiers began to march back to Bos- 
ton that they found the hornets were out of their nest and 
ready to sting them. They had sixteen miles to go, and all 
along this distance the minute-men were gathered behind 
trees and stone walls, firing on them at every step. The 
British fell like dead leaves. At last they ran in a panic. 
Few or none of them would have got back, only that another 
strong force of soldiers marched out and met them at 
Lexington. 

There were eighteen hundred of them now, but the 
farmers fired on them all the way to Boston, and they were 
glad enough to get under shelter of the guns of their ships 
of war. They had been saying to themselves that the 
Americans were cowards and would not fight. They were 
not likely to say that again. 

The People in Arms. — The day before April 19 the 
country had been at peace. The day after it was at war. 
The story of the fight went like wildfire through the coun- 
try. Everywhere the farmers left their ploughs and seized 
their rifles. In hundreds and thousands they hurried 
towards Boston. Soon there were twenty thousand men 
around that city. The British had made their last march 
out of Boston by land. When they went again they would 
have to go as they had come, in their ships by sea. 

Capture of Ticonderoga. — The Green Mountain Boys/^ 


126 


THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 


of Vermont, did not march to Boston. Ethan Allen led 
them to Fort Ticonderoga, on Lake Champlain, which they 
captured. May 10, without firing a gun. The fort at Crown 
Point was taken in the same way, and many cannon 
were captured. 

Breed’s Hill fortified. — Such was the opening of the war. 
Now w'e must tell of the first great battle. One dark night 
the Americans went out to build a fort of earth on Bunker 
Hill, near Boston; but they found that Breed’s Hill was 
still nearer, so they built their fort on that. When day broke, 
June 17, the British found that there was along wall of earth 
where none had been the night before. Behind this wall 
lay men with rifies in their hands. There was only one 
thing to be done : they must drive the Americans out of 
these earthworks or they could not stay in Boston. 

The First Battle of the War. — The ships began firing, 
but the Americans went on with their work. Then three 
thousand soldiers crossed the river in boats and began to 
march up the hill. The American militia, under General 

Putnam and Colonel Prescott, lay behind 
their bank of earth and saw these soldiers 

f, 

— some of the best trained in the world 
— marching steadily upward. No one 
had dreamed that raw volunteers could 
stand before such veteran troops, yet the 
Americans did not flinch. Aim low. 
Don’t fire till you can see the whites of 
their eyes,” said the American general. 
So thev waited till the soldiers were close 

t/ 

to the works and then fired. Every shot told. Down went 
dozens of men. No living beings could stand such a fire, and 
the soldiers turned and ran hastilv down the hill. Thev had 

t/ 

found out to their sorrow what American marksmen could do. 



PUTNAM. 


THE WORK OF THE MINUTE-MEN. 


127 


They came on once more and were met with a second 
terrible volley. Down the hill they ran in a panic again. 
Their officers had great trouble to get them to face a third 
time the American fire. But the Americans were now 
nearly out of powder. They fired once more, and then used 
their guns as clubs to drive back the soldiers.’ When the 
British found that the firing had stopped, they came on with 
the bayonet, while the ships fired cannon-balls into the 
works. The Americans now had to retreat. They were 
followed by the furious soldiers and many of them were 
killed in the retreat. But they had killed more than twice 
as many as they lost, and had taught the world that Ameri- 
can militia were not afraid to fight British regulars. 

The Action of Congress. — We must tell more rapidly 
what followed. The Second Continental Congress met at 
Philadelphia in May, 1775. There was much to be done 
now. Laws had to be passed for the whole country, and 
preparations made to carry on the war, for the people were 
all determined that it should go on. General Washington 
was made commander of the army at Boston, and money 
was voted for the purposes of the war. The people were 
willing enough to pay taxes to their own Congress, though 
they would not to the English Parliament. Their feeling 
was afterwards expressed in these words : Millions for 

defence ; not one cent for tribute.” 

Evacuation of Boston. — Now there was war in earnest. 
Washino^ton drilled the armv at Boston and did his best to 
make soldiers out of farmers. It took a long time to do this, 
and it was the spring of the next year before he was ready. 
Then one night he built strong earthworks on Dorchester 
Heights, south o:^ Boston. The British general looked at 
these works and quickly saw that he could not take them 
without losing many of his men, and that he could not stay 


128 


THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 


in Boston if he did not take them. So he decided to leave. 
On March 17, 1776, his men were marched on board the 
vessels, which set sail for Halifax, never to return to Boston. 
The same day the Americans took possession of the city 
which they had so long besieged. 

The Attack on Quebec. — While this was going on the 
Americans tried to take Canada. Two armies were led 
there, one under General Montgomery and one under Gen- 
eral Arnold. Montreal was captured and the army marched 
to Quebec. This city proved too strong. General Mont- 
gomery was killed, and General Arnold, who now took com- 
mand, stayed there during the winter, but had to retreat the 
next spring. The British followed him down Lake Cham- 
plain and had a naval battle with him on that lake. The 
Americans had fancied that the Canadians would join them, 
but thev refused to do so, and Canada remained a British 

c/ ' 

province. 

Fort Moultrie defended. — There is one more event of 
importance that took place at this time. The English gov- 
ernment thought that it ought to make sure of the Southern 
colonies. So in June a fleet was sent to Charleston, South 
Carolina. But it was soon found that the Southerners were 
as determined not to be slaves as the Northerners. Fort 
Moultrie, at the mouth of the harbor, was built of logs of 
the soft palmetto wood. The balls from the ships sunk in 
these and did little harm. Those from the fort did great 
damage to the ships. In the end the fleet had to turn and 
sail away. 

Brave Sergeant Jasper. — There was one event of this 
battle that is well worth telling. During the fight the flag- 
staff on the fort was cut by a ball, and the flag fell on the 
sand at the foot of the wall. A bold young sergeant, named 
Jasper, sprang down where the bullets were coming in like 


THE WORK OF THE MINUTE-MEN. 


129 


hail, seized the flag, and soon had it floating proudly again 
on the fort. This has always been looked upon as one of 
the bravest deeds of the whole war. 

Footsteps of Freedom. — And now we must finish this 
part of our story by telling what turned the war from a rebel- 
lion into a revolution. When the Americans began to fight, 
it was done to teach the king and his government that they 
would not pay taxes if they were not allowed to help make 
the laws. But many of them thought that America ought 
to be free, and as the war went on this feeling spread widely 
among the people. They quit fighting for their rights 
under the British government, and began to fight for their 
freedom from that government. 

The Continental Congress was still in session at Phila-' 
delphia, and the desire for freedom grew as strong among 
the delegates as it was among the people. The first motion 
for liberty was made on June 7, 1776, by Richard Henry 
Lee, of Virginia. He moved that the colonies, one and all, 
‘‘ of right ought to be free and independent States.’"’ 

The Declaration of Independence. — Five men were then 
appointed as a committee to draw up a 
Declaration of Independence. On this 
committee were Benjamin Franklin, 

John Adams, and Thomas Jefterson. 

Jefferson wrote the Declaration, which 
was immediately brought before Con- 
gress, and adopted by it on the 4th of 
July, 1776. All the members signed it, 
and this valuable old paper still exists, 
with their signatures to it. There is a 
legend that as soon as it had passed 
there rang out stirring peals from the bell of the old State- 
House, on which was the inscription, Proclaim liberty 



THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 


130 

throughout the land to all the inhabitants thereof.” The 
news had been told to the old bell-ringer, and he pulled at the 
rope with all his might, while every stroke of the bell seemed 
to send the word Liberty” ringing over the land. Every' 
where the people rejoiced to learn that they had been de- 
clared free. The statue of King George, in Kew York,\ was 
thrown into the dirt of the streets, and the arms of England 



READING THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE TO THE PEOPLE. 


were torn down from the public buildings of the cities and 
burned in the streets, while the flag of Great Britain ceased 
to float anywhere in the new republic, for at that time there 
was probably not a British soldier on American soil. 

It was a grand declaration that had been made, and all 
lovers of liberty throughout the world heard of it with 
gladness. It said that a new nation was born upon the 


THE WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE. 


131 


earth, and that the people of America were no longer fight- 
ing for the right to tax themselves, but for the right to 
govern themselves. But many dark days were to pass before 
they could gain the privilege of doing so in peace.* 

III.— THE WAE FOR INDEPENEENCE. 

The Meaning* of the Declaration. — The people of America 
had declared that they were free and independent, but 
that did not make them so. They were to have years of 
hard fighting and great suffering before they could really 
become free. But now they had something of walue to fight 
for. They were no longer troubled about paying taxes at 
the command of the English Parliament. They had de- 
clared that in future they would make their own laws, lay 
their own taxes, and carry on their own affairs, and that no 
other nation should rule them. That is whatAvas meant by 
the Declaration of Independence, adopted on the 4th of July, 
1776 ; and that is what has made the 4th of July ever since 
a day to be celebrated. It is the greatest day in the history 
of America. 

The Loss of New York. — After the Declaration the war 
went on more fiercelv than before. The British had been 
driven out of Boston, so they decided to take New York. 
AVashington tried to defend it, but he did not have men 
enough, and after a hard battle on Long Island he had to 


* The first Declaration of Independence in America was made by a con 
vention of delegates in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, in May, 1775. 
They were chosen by the militia of that county, and were in session when the 
news of the battle of Lexington was received. They at once passed resolu- 
tions which declared the colonies to be free from English rule and entitled to 
govern themselves. This action was well received throughout Western North 
Carolina, and a copy of the resolutions was sent to Congress at Philadelphia. 


132 


THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 


retreat and give up the city. The British army held New 
York from that time till the end of the war. 

The Retreat across New Jersey. — The country was now 
in a sad state. Washington’s army was not half as strong 
as that of his enemies. Very few of the men ^vere trained 
soldiers. They Avere short of powder, guns, provisions, and 
all that an army needs. It Avas noAV the autumn of 1776. 
Washiiii>:ton found that he could not hold his OAvn aminst 
the British, so he had to retreat. He marched his poor, 
ragged, hungry men south across Ncav Jersey, and as he 
went he burnt the bridges to keep the British back. When 
he got to the DelaAAUire RiA^er, he took possession of all the 
boats that could be found, and had his army roA\"ed across. 
The British quicklj^ came up, but AVashington’s army Avas 
safe. There Avas a river betAveen them, and no boats for 
the British to cross in. 

The Feeling* of the People. — The British Avere full of 
hope and joy, for they thought the fighting Avas nearly at an 
end, and settled doAvn to pass the AAunter in peace. All 
through Europe it AA^as belieA^ed that the American cause 
was ruined, and that the colonists Avould have to submit. 
Many of the Americans thought so too. They saAv their 
army groAving smaller every day, and kneAV that most of 
the men Avould go home on the 1st of January, as the time 
for Avhich they had enlisted Avould end then. They had 
joined the army only for the year, and not many neAV men 
were coming to take their place. The people eA^erywhere 
were disheartened, and many thought there Avas no chance 
of success. 

Washington crosses the Delaware. — But there Avas one 
man that did not think so, and that man Avas George AA^ash- 
ington. He waited till Christmas, and then led his men 
across the DelaAvare into NeAv JerseA^ It was a terrible 


THE WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE, 


133 


crossing ; the weather was very cold, and the river full of 
cakes of floating ice. Yet he got the army across and 
marched all night towards Trenton, where a British force 
was feasting and frolicking without the thought of an 
enemy. This force was made up of Hessians, — soldiers from 
Germany who had been hired from their rulers and sent * 
over by England to flght the Americans. 

Trenton and Princeton. — It was early in the morning 


when Washington reached the town. The Hessians were 
taken by surprise, many of them were killed and wounded, 
and a thousand taken prisoners. A few days afterwards 
Washington met another British force near Princeton and 
defeated them. The British were discouraged and drew back, 
and Washington remained in possession. The Americans 
who had been in despair now became full of hope. In 
Europe the feeling changed. It began to be thought that 
America would win, and everybody spoke of George Wash- 
ington as the great hero of the age. 

Philadelphia captured. — The year 1777 was an important 
year of the war. In the Middle States the 
Americans lost ground, but in the Yorth 
they gained a great victory. The British 
left ISTew York, with a strong fleet and a 
large army, and sailed up Chesapeake Bay. 

Washington hastened to meet them, and a 
severe battle was fought on the Brandvwine 
Creek, below Philadelphia, at which the Ma.r- 
quis de La Fayette, a distinguished French 
officer, an aide to General Washington, was 
severely wounded. The Americans ^vere defeated and had to 
fall back, and the British army marched into Philadelphia. 

The Winter at Valley Forge. — Some other fighting took 
place, and there was a severe battle at Germantown, near 



LA FAYETTE 


THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 


134 



Philadelphia. But the British could not be driven from the 
city, and when winter came on the American army went 
into winter-quarters at a place called Valley Forge, north- 
west of Philadelphia. This winter was the most terrible 
one of the whole war. The weather was very cold, and the 
•men were nearly destitute of 
clothes and blankets to keep 
them warm and food to keep 
them alive. Some of them 
had to walk throim'h the snow 
barefoot, their bleeding feet 
staining the snow red as they 
marched. When spring came 
very many of the men were 


IN CAMP AT VALLEY P'ORGE. 


dead. Cold and hunsrer and sickness had been more fatal 

O 

to them than the o;nns of the enemv. Yet those that lived 
were good patriots still, and as ready to fight for their 
country as before. And Washington never despaired. 

Burgoyne’s March. — In the Worth, as we have said, the 
Americans had gained a great victory, and this gave spirit 
to the sufifering army in Pennsylvania. A powerful British 
army had marched down from Canada by the old route of 



THE 'WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE. 


135 


the French, that of Lake Champlain and Lake George. 
They thought they could cut i^ew England off from New 
York, and thus divide the colonies into two parts. They 
took all the old forts, — Ticonderoga, Crown Point, and 
others. Another army was coming up the Hudson to meet 
them, and everything looked bad for the Americans. 

The Battle of Bennington. — But the men of that region 
were everywhere marching, rifle in hand, to defend their 
country. The Iroquois Indians had joined the British, but 
these were scared oft' and gave up the flght. The parties 
of the British sent out to collect food were attacked by the 
Americans. One of these parties was met at Bennington, 
Vermont, by General Stark, with his Green Mountain 
Boys,” and badly defeated. When the battle began Stark 
called out to his men, There are the red-coats. Before 
night they are ours, or Betty Stark is a widow.” And he 
meant what he said ; before night he had six hundred pris- 
oners and the rest of the British were retreating in dismay. 

Surrender of Burgoyne. — It was not long before Bur- 
goyne, the British commander, found that he had led his 
men into a trap from which he could not get them out. He 
had gone so far south that he could not return, nor could 
he march any farther onward. The Americans were every- 
where around him. His army was short of food, and he 
did not dare to send out parties in search of it, for fear they 
would be captured. He made two tierce attacks on the 
American earthworks, but could not take them. Finally 
he had to surrender his whole army to the Americans. 
This took place at Saratoga, October 17, 1777. It was one 
of the most important events of the war, and had a wonder- 
ful effect on the spirits of the Americans and on the feelings 
of the people of Europe. It was, in fact, the turning-point 
of the war. 


136 


THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 


The Treaty with Prance. — The next year Prance made a 
treaty with America and sent over a large fleet to help in 
the war. This fleet did little in the way of service, but it 
gave hope to the Americans, while its presence discouraged 
the English. Their government now offered to do away 
with all the laws to which the Americans objected, if they 
would lay down their arms and surrender. This offer came 
too late. The Americans had determined to be free, and 
nothing less would satisfy them now. 

The Retreat from Philadelphia. — In 1778 the British in 
Philadelphia began to fear that if they stayed there much 
longer they might be caught in as bad a trap as Burgoyne 
had been. Tlie Americans were gathering around them, and 
there was danger that the Delaware might be closed against 

their ships. So they started on a 
hasty march across New Jersey to New 
York. Washington followed them, 
fought with them, and captured some 
of them, but the main army got safely 
to New York. 

Mad Anthony Wayne. — During 
1778 and 1779 there was not much 
done. A British fleet sailed south and 
took the city of Savannah. This was 
the flrst victorv the British had gained 
in the Southern States. In the North the Americans were 
victorious in one important tight. General Wayne, or 
^‘Mad Anthony Wajuie,’’ as he was afterwards called, made 
a sudden attack on Stony Point, a fort on the Hudson 
River. He took it with the bayonet, without tiring a shot, 
and captured some very valuable stores. 

The Massacre of Wyoming. — One of the most dreadful 
events of the war took place in the summer of 1778. A 



ANTHONY WAYNE. 


THE WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE, 


137 


band of Indians, British, and tories made an attack on the 
beautiful Valley of Wyoming, in Northern Pennsylvania. 
They took the fort, which had in it only old men, women, 
and children, and killed them all without mercy. The 
whole settlement was destroyed, and few of the inhabitants 
escaped the cruel tomahawk. 

Captain Paul Jones. — One great battle took place on the 
sea. Paul Jones, a brave American captain, sailed with a 
few ships all round the 
coast of England, and 
kept the whole island in 
alarm. At length he 
met a British war ves- 
sel, the Serapis. His 
ship was called the Bon- 
homme Pi chard. The 
fight that followed was 
one of the most desper- 
ate that ever took place 
on the sea. The Bon- 
homme Richard was set 
on lire, and was so full of cannon-ball holes that it began 
to sink, hut Paul Jones fought on. In the end the British 
surrendered. Captain Jones placed his men on board the 
Serapis and sailed away in triumph, leaving his own vessel 
to sink. There was no surrender in Captain Paul Jones, 
and he is looked upon as one of the bravest men that ever 
sailed the seas. 

The Treason of j^rnold. — In 1780 the war was nearly all 
111 the South. Only one important event took place in the 
North. Benedict Arnold, an American general of great 
skill and courage, but of a sullen temper, became angry 
because he thought that he had not been fairly treated, and 



THE RONHOMME RICHARD AND THE SERAPIS. 


138 


THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 


that other men had received the honor which he believed to 
V)e due to him. His discontent became so great in the end 
that he determined to turn traitor to his country. So he 
asked AVashin2:ton to o;ive him command of West Point, a 
strong fort on the Hudson River. As soon vas he got hold 
of it he laid plans to surrender it to the British. 

The Capture of Andre.— -Major Andre, a young British 
officer, was sent to euusult Avith him. On his Avav back to 
l!^ew York, in disguise, Andre was taken prisoner by some 
Americans. They searched him, and in his stocking they 
found papers which told what his business had been. Arnold 
escaped in a boat to a British Avar vessel in the river, but 
he did not succeed in giving the fort to the British. Every 
one felt pity for Major Andre, Avho Avas a tine young man ; 
but he had been taken as a spy, and he was hanged as a spy. 

The South Carolina Partisans. — During 1780 and 1781 
the Avar Avas mostly in the South. The British captured 
Charleston, and soon had all South Carolina and Georgia in 
their hands. For a Avhile there AA^as no army to tight them ; 
but some brave and bold men — Marion, Sumter, and others — 
got small bodies of soldiers together, and gave the British 
no end of trouble. They hid in the SAAmnps^ and attacked 
every small body of British soldiers they could meet. 
Marion Avas called the SAvanip Fox.’’ The British thought 
it Avas A^ery coAvardly in him that he Avould not come out 
into the open held to hght like an officer and a gentle- 
man.” But Avhen the time came they found him as brave in 
the open held as he had been in the sAvamps. 

Generals Greene and Cornwallis. — In 1781, General 

Greene took commaiid of the armA^ in the South. He Avas 

1 / 

a very skilful officer, fought the British at every opportunity, 
and eA^en when he Avas beaten he managed so that they got 
no good from their victory. At last General Cornwallis, 


THE PEOPLE AND THE COUNTRY. 


139 


who commanded the British army in the South, marched 
north to Virginia. Benedict Arnold, the traitor, was there 
with a British force, doing all the damage he could. 

The Surrender of Cornwallis. — Cornwallis made York- 
town his head-quarters. Here he threw up earthworks, 
and waited for help from New York. But a French fleet 
sailed into York River and closed it against any Britisli ships 
that might come from New York. Washington, who since 
1778 had been watching the British in New York, now saw 
his opportunity, and marched south to Yorktown with the 
greatest speed, ^"ery soon Cornwallis found that his army was 
surrounded, while cannon-balls were battering his works to 
pieces. He made an attempt to escape, but did not succeed, 
and was forced to surrender. This event took place on the 
19th of October, 1781. 

The Treaty of Peace. — Tt was the last event of the war. 
There was no more fighting, and America was free. Two 
years afterwards a treaty of peace was signed, in Avhich Eng- 
land acknowledged the freedom of America. From that 
time fonvard the American people have taken their place 
among the nations of mankind, under the title of “ The 
United States of America,’’ — a title which now belongs to 
one of the greatest nations upon the earth. 

TV.— THE PEOPLE AND THE COUNTPvY. 

The People and their Ways. — AVhat kind of a nation 
was it that was made by the Declaration of Independence ? 
How many people were in it, and what were their modes of 
life ? That is wdiat ^ve have next to consider. At the time 
of the Revolution, America was very difterent from what it* 
had been a hundred years liefore, and very different from 
what it had become a hundred years after. So this is a 


140 


THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 


good resting-point, where we can stop and take a look at the 
people, and see how they lived and what they were doing. 

The Population of America. — We cannot say just how 
many people there were in America at that time, but there 
were more than two millions, possibly two and a half mil- 
lions. This was a small population for a country of such 
size, extending fifteen hundred miles along the sea-coast 
and for some distance back into the interior. But this ter- 
ritory was very thinly settled. Even along the sea-coast the 
greater part of it was a wilderness, mostly covered with 
forest trees. The towns were small and far apart, and the 
largest cities had not more than twenty thousand inhabitants. 
The people in those days thought that !New York and Phila- 
delphia were important cities, but now we would look on 
them as only good-sized country towns. 

The State of the Interior. — Few of the settlements ex- 
tended far back from the sea-coast, or from the great i*ivers. 
In Xew Y^ork most of the settlers kept near to the Hudson ; 
in Pennsylvania they did not go far from the Delaware. 
The back countrv was vet in great part covered bv forests, 
and was the home of the Indians and of white hunters. In 
the South there were more people. In Virginia and the 
Carolinas they had gone much farther back from the coast. 
Daniel Boone, a bold and daring hunter, had led a party 
over the mountains into Kentucky. Some others had gone 
to Tennessee. But these few men had to live with rifle in 
hand, for their lives were every minute in danger. Daniel 
Boone had manv adventures with the Indians, but he es- 
caped all peril and lived to be an old man. 

Whence the People came. — The people of America had 
come from many countries of Europe. There were Ger- 
mans in Pennsylvania and Dutch in KewY^ork. Along the 
Delaware there were Swedes, and in piarts of the South there 


I 


THE PEOPLE AND THE COUNTRY. 141 

were settlements of French and of Hi°;hlanders from Scot- 
land. But most of the people were of English descent, and 
the others by degrees took np the language and the ways of 
the English, so that in time all these unlike people grew 
together into one nation. 

The Farming* Population. — Most of the people of Amer- 
ica were farmers. In those days there were none of the 
great factories and workshops which we now see almost 
everywhere. The soil was rich and gave plentiful crops, and 
there might be seen tine farm-houses, large barns full of corn, 
wheat, and hay, and great flocks of sheep and cattle in the 
fields. Jlew Eno-land and the Middle colonies were flimous 

O 

for sheep and corn. Jlearly everything was done at home. 
While the men worked in the fields, the women spun wool 
and flax and made most of the clothing for the family. The 
farmer had to be a mechanic also. He made most of the 
things he used. Even the nails he needed were hammered 
out by him during the winter. The children were kept busy, 
too, though there were schools where they could get some 
little education. 

Agriculture of the South. — In the South agriculture was 
also the principal business of the country. Here the land 
was divided into great plantations, and large crops of 
tobacco, rice, sugar, etc., were raised. Much tar and pitch 
were made in ^forth Carolina. These were sent to Europe 
and sold or exchanged for other goods, and the people of 
that section orrew rich. We have alreadv told how the 

O 

planters and their slaves lived on these great plantations. 

New England Commerce. — But the people of America 
were not all farmers. Many of them built ships and en- 
gaged in commerce. Long before the war the cities of 
Boston, New York, and Philadelphia had a large trade. 
Many ships came and went between these cities and Eng- 


142 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

land, and some went to France and Spain to bring back 
cargoes of wine and silks. This was against the English 



THE OLD-TIME SPINNING-WHEEL, 


law, blit the people thought this law unjust and did not hes^ 
tate to break it. Vessels were built in Boston and sent to 




THE PEOPLE AND THE COUNTRY. 


143 


the West Indies, where they were traded off for rum and 
suofar, for which articles there was much demand in those 
days. Many more were sent to Engfland and sold there. 
As early as 1763, New England had a thousand ships in its 
trade, besides the vessels of the hardy fishermen of the 
coast. Many of these ships were sent in search of whales, 
whicli were then far more plentiful than now. 

Manufacturing* Industry. — There was not much manu- 
facturinsr done in America. The laws of England had for- 
bidden the people to make goods for themselves. They 
were watched closely, yet they managed to make some 
things. In New England there were a few mills for working 
iron. Hats were made of furs. In Pennsylvania very wod 

.j «y O 

leather was made. But the merchants of England did all 
they could to put a stop to this, and to make the Americans 
buy everything from them. 

Of course they had to build their own houses, and to do 
many things which could not be done for them across the 
ocean. And after the Revolution they quickly began to do 
many other things for themselves, so that the commerce and 
manufactures of America increased very rapidly. There 
were several newspapers printed, but they were very small 
compared with those we see to-day. The first newspaper in 
America was The Neivs Letter^ which was started in Boston 
in 1704. In 1775 each of the cities of Boston, New York, 
and Philadelphia had four newspapers. 

Travel in America. — Not much can be said for the cities 
of that period. Many of the great cities of to-day were 
then small villages, or were still forest land. Boston had less 
than eighteen thousand people; New York over twenty 
thousand, and Philadelphia over thirty thousand. Balti- 
more and Charleston were much the largest cities in the 
South, their populations being from twelve to fifteen thou- 


144 


THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 


sand each. To travel from city to city was no easy task. 
There were some good roads in the ISTortli, but in the South 
the roads were very poor. In winter and spring most of 
the roads were little more than a series of mud-holes. The 
fastest stage-coach between ITew York and Philadelphia 
took two days for the trip, and it was a long and tiresome 
journey from Boston to Yew York. Therefore the people 



of the different colonies had very 
little to do with one another. There is more travel in a 
day now than there was in a year then. 

The Condition of the Cities. — There were some handsome 
houses in the cities, but not many. In Yew York trees 
were planted before the houses, and there were railings on 
the roofs, so that people could sit there on summer evenings 
to enjoy the cool air. There were lamps in the streets. 
Broadway was thought a splendid avenue, though it was 
not very long and soon ended in the open country, 

Philadelphia was then the most important city in the 


THE PEOPLE AXD THE COUNTPX 


145 


country. It had been laid out by William Penn with broad 
and regular streets, while those of ISTew York and Boston 
were crooked and narrow. Yet, much as it was spoken of 
in that day, it was a mere dwarf of a city compared with 
the present Philadelphia, and extended but a short distance 
back from the banks of the Delaware. 

Equality and Habits of the People. — There were no men 
of great riches in those days. Very few men in the country 
had ten thousand dollars a year to spend. Most of the 
people were nearly equal in wealth. There was little poverty 
and little riches. The people were simple in their manners, 
and did not live expensively. One of their worst faults was 
their fondness for liquor. They drank much more than 
people do now, and drunkenness was very common. 

Extent of the United States. — The country which the 
people had won for themselves by their hard fight with 
England was much smaller than the United States of our 
present maps. Canada was held by England. Its people 
had shown no wish to be free. In the South, Florida be- 
longed to Spain; but Florida then reached farther north 
than it does now, and had a strip of land fifty miles wide 
‘extending along the Gulf of Mexico to the Mississippi River, 
so that it cut off the United States from the Gulf. And all 
the vast country that lies west of this river belonged to 
Spain. The United States of that day lay between the Mis- 
sissippi River on the west and the Atlantic Ocean on the 
east, and between Canada on the north and Florida on the 
south. It was a great country then. It has grown to be a 
much greater country since. 

The States of the Union. — This country was divided into 
thirteen States. These were the same as the States which 
now lie along or near the Atlantic, except Maine and Ver- 
mont, which did not become States till afterwards, and 


146 


THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 


Florida, which was added much later. They were called the 
United States of America, but they were not very closely 
united. Each of them was almost like a separate nation, 
for Congress had very little power over them. They sent 
some of their wisest men to Philadelphia to form part of 
the Congress which met there, but thej" did not give them 
much power or authority. They had to gain their freedom 
first. There would be time enough afterwards to form a 
strong nation out of the several colonies. 

PART IV.-QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 

I. In what ways were the Americans ill used by the English? What laws 
were passed about their trade? What was done about American ships? 
Were Americans allowed to make goods for themselves? What did the 
English want them to do? Did the Americans obey the new laws? What 
law was passed to stop smuggling ? How did the Americans like this ? Why 
did the English government wish to tax the Americans? What reply did the 
Americans make? What did the government do? What was the character 
of the Stamp Act? What did Patrick Henry declare? How did the people 
receive the Stamp Act ? Who was sent to London to get the Stamp Act 
repealed? What other taxes were laid? What was done to make the people 
pay these taxes? Why were soldiers sent to Boston? What is meant by the 
‘^Boston Massacre ? What did the Parliament next do about the taxes ? Were 
the Americans willing to pay the tax on tea? Why not? How did they 
receive the cargoes of tea? What was done at Boston? What was the Bos- 
ton Port Bill? Did this frighten the people? What did they do? When 
and where did the First Continental Congress’^ meet? What action did 
it take? 

II. What was the population of the colonies at the time of the disputes 
with England? What had England done in ten years? What city was the 
centre of the rebellious feeling? Where had the people collected stores? 
What did General Gage do? Describe Paul Bevere’s ride. On what day did 
the soldiers reach Lexington? What happened there? What was done at 
Concord ? Describe the retreat from Concord. How did the people of New 
England receive the news of this fight? What did Ethan Allen and the 
Green Mountain Boys do? Where did the Americans seek to build a fort? 
On what hill was it built? How were the British received when they tried 
to take the fort ? What was the end of the battle ? When did the Second 


QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 


147 


Continental Congress meet? Who was made commander- in-chief of the 
army? How were the British forced to leave Boston? What did the 
Americans attempt in Canada, and how did they succeed ? What city was 
attacked by the British fleet? With what result? Describe Sergeant Jas- 
per’s brave action. What was the purpose of the colonists in the war? 
What new purpose came into their minds ? What member of Congress first 
declared that the colonies ought to be free ? Who wrote the Declaration of 
Independence? When was it adopted? What efibct did it have on the peo 
pie ? What did it declare to lovers of liberty ? 

III. What did the Declaration of Independence signify to the people? 
Why is the 4th of July kept as a national holiday ? What happened at New 
York? What did AVashington do after the loss of New York? Describe 
his retreat. How did the people feel ? What did Washington do on Christ- 
mas Eve, 1776? How were the British at Trenton occupied? What took 
place at Trenton ? At Princeton ? What was the effect of these victories in 
America and Europe? Where did the British sail to in 1777 ? What was 
the effect of the battle of the Brandywine ? At what other place was there a 
battle? Where did Washington’s army pass the winter? What condition 
were the men in ? What other expedition did the British attempt ? What was 
their purpose? Describe the battle of Bennington. What did General 
Stark say to his men ? What sort of a trap did Burgoyne fall into ? What 
was he obliged to do? AVhere and when did he surrender his army? What 
country made a treaty with America in 1778? What did the English now 
offer to do? How did the Americans receive their offer? What did the 
British army in Philadelphia do in 1778? Why? What did Washington 
do? What fort did Anthony Wayne attack ? How did he take it? What 
happened in the Valley of AVyoming? AVhat did Captain Paul Jones do? 
What was the name of his ship ? AVhat English frigate did he meet ? 
Describe the sea-fight that followed. Where did the fighting take place in 
1780? AVhat did General Arnold determine to do? What fort did he get 
command of? AVhat happened to Major Andre? Why was he hung? 
What Southern city did the British capture? What leaders fought them in 
South Carolina? AVhat was their mode of fighting? What did the British 
think of it? Who took command of the Southern army in 1781? Who 
commanded the British army? AV^hat success did General Greene have? 
Where did Cornwallis go? AVhat did AA^ashington do? AVhat fleet came to 
help liim? AA’^hat happened to the army of Cornwallis ? When was it sur- 
rendered? AVas there any more fighting? AA^hen was the treaty of peace 
signed? AA’^hat was the new nation named? 

IA7. AA^hat w’as the population of America after the Revolution? How 
large was the country? How thickly was it settled? AA’^hat was the size of 


148 


THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 


the largest cities ? Where were the settlers mostly collected ? What was the 
condition of the interior ? What was the state of the Southern population ? 
What great hunter had gone to Kentucky ? What was the character of his 
life there ? From what countries had the people of America come ? In what 
business were most of them engaged ? What crops were raised ? What did 
the women do ? What did the farmers do at home ? What was raised in the 
South ? Where were these crops sold ? Describe the shipping trade of the 
colonies. How many ships had New England in 1763 ? What were these 
used for ? Was there much manufacturing ? What things were made ? 
What was the name of the first newspaper? How many newspapers were 
therein the principal cities in 1775? Tell the sizes of the different cities. 
What is said about travelling? What kind of a city was New York? 
What was Philadelphia like? What was the condition of the people? 
What bad habit had they? What was the extent of the United States? 
What were its boundaries? How many States were there? Were they 
closely united ? Did Congress then have much power ? 


THE MAKIXG OF IHE G0VERNMEN2. 


149 


PART V. 

THE FIRST HALF-CENTURY OF THE REPUBLIC. 

I.— THE MAKING OF THE GOVERNMENT. 

A Time of Distress. — At the end of the Revolution the 
people of America were in a condition of poverty and 
misery. Business was at a stand-still, there was very little 
money, and not much of anything else useful. The country 
owed a great debt and had little to pay it with. The paper 
money with which the soldiers had been paid had lost its 
value, and nobody would take it for goods. The people were 
very poor, with their farms ruined and many of their towns 
destroyed. Some of them were so desperate that they 
declared they would pay no debts or taxes. Two thousand 
such men in Massachusetts, led by a man named Daniel 
Shays, marched out with their arms and defied the govern- 
ment. The State had some trouble to make them submit. 

Yet this distress could not long continue. The country 
needed only a little time to be all right again. It still had 
its soil, its mines, its ships, and its industrious inhabitants, 
and these were enough to make any country rich. England 
could no longer tell the people where they should trade or 
what they should make, or force them to pay taxes to sup- 
port her government. They were free now to work for and 
to govern themselves, and this was worth all it had cost. 

The Patriotism of Washington. — Washington was looked 
upon by every one as the great man of the country. The 


150 THE FIRST HALF-CENTVRY OF THE REPUBLIC. 



WASHINGTON. 


soldiers almost worshipped him. He could not go anywhere 
without crowds gathering to see him. He might have made 
himself a king if he had done what some of his friends 
wished. But he was too great a lover of his country for 

that, and would not take from America 
the liberty which he had^ done so much 
to gain. He went back to his home at 
Mount Vernon, in Virginia, and became 
a simple farmer again. This was a noble 
act. Few men in Washington's position 
would have given up the power which 
was in his hands. All the world has 
praised him since as one of the greatest 
of patriots. 

The Condition of the Country. — . 
There was one work of great importance to be done before 
the country could prosper. Congress had hardly any power. 
It was made up of delegates from the States, but these 
States kept most of the power in their own hands. Con- 
gress could pass laws, but the States need not obey them 
unless they chose. Each State soon began to act as if it 
was an independent nation. Money was asked for by Con- 
gress to pay the interest on the debt, but very little of it 
was given, and hardly anything was done for the support of 
the government. A change of some kind had to be made, 
or the Union of the States would be broken, and there 
would be thirteen nations instead of one. 

The Constitutional Convention. — This was seen by all 
the wise men of the country, — by Washington, Hamilton, 
Franklin, and others, — and steps were taken for a conven- 
tion of delegates, which met at Philadelphia, in May, 1787, 
to try and form a stronger government. Among these 
delegates were many learned and able men. For four 


THE MAKING OF THE GOVERNMENT. 


151 


months they talked over the condition of the country, and 
considered what had best be done, and at the end of that 
time they had formed a plan of government very well 
suited to the needs of the country. This plan is what we 
have in the Constitution of the United States, that great docu- 
ment which forms the foundation of our government, and 
which has done so much to make the United States a great 
and powerful nation. 

The New Government. — When the Convention had fin- 
ished its work, what had it done ? Let us see. There were 
still thirteen States, each of 
which had the right to take 
care of its own affairs ; but 
they were all combined 
under one general govern- 
ment, which had much 
power given to it. This 
government had the right 
to form and control an 
army and navy, to make 
treaties with other nations, 
and to declare war if neces- 
sary. It could coin the 
money of the country, 

manage the post-offices, lay taxes on the people, regulate 
commerce with foreign countries, and make laws for the 
good of the whole nation. No State had any longer the 
power to do these things for itself, though each could make 
laws which did not interfere with the rights of any other 
State or of the government of the United States. 

The Legislative Body. — The new government was to con- 
sist of three bodies: .one to make the laws, one to decide if 
they agreed with the Constitution, and one to see that they 



carpenters’ hall, PHILADELPHIA, WHERE 
THE FIRST COLONIAL CONGRESS MET. 


152 THE FIRST HALF-CENTURY OF THE REPUBLIC. 

were put into effect. The first of these — the law-making 
body — is called the Congress of the United States. It is 
divided into two parts, — the House of Representatives, 
whose members are elected by the people, and the Senate, 
whose members are elected by the State governments. The 
first of these is expected to look after the good of the whole 
people ; the second, to attend to the interests of the States. 
But the interests of the people and of the States are very 
much the same, and there is little difference between the 
duties of the Senate and the House of Representatives. 

The Supreme Court. — The second body of the govern- 
ment is called the Supreme Court. It is made up of a 
number of learned judges, whose duty it is to examine, if 
necessary, all the laws passed in the country, and decide if 
they agree with the Constitution. If they do not agree 
they cease to be laws. Every law, either of Congress or of 
the States, must agree with the Constitution of the United 
States. 

The Powers of the President. — The third body of the 
government consists of a President, with a Vice-President 
to take his place if he should die, and certain officers known 
as cabinet officers, with whom he can consult. It is the 
duty of the President to execute, or put into force, the laws 
passed by Congress. If he does not approve of these acts 
of Congress he can veto them, or refilse to sign them. They 
cannot become laws if he does not sign them, unless two- 
thirds of the members of Congress vote for them again. 
The President takes the place of the kings and emperors 
of foreign countries, but he has less power than some of 
them. He can only carry out the laws. He has nothing 
to do with making them, except that he need not approve 
any law which he does not think a good one. 

Wasbrngton as President. — As soon as the Constitution 


THE MAKING OF THE GOVEENMENT. 


153 


was formed and adopted by the States a President had to be 
chosen. Washington was the only man thought of for this 
high office. He became President in 1789. It was decided 
that New York should be the seat of government, and Con- 
gress was asked to meet there on the 4th of March of that 
year. 

The Work of the Government. — There was much to be 
done. There was a heavy debt to be paid, many laws to be 



THE CAPITOL AT WASHINGTON. 


passed, courts to be set up, taxes to be assessed, and the peo- 
ple had to gain confidence in the government before business 
could go on properly. All this was done, everybody went to 
work, and it was not long before America was richer and 
happier than it had ever been before. 

There were troubles, it is true. A tax had been laid on 
whiskey, and a mob in Western Pennsylvania refused to 
pay it. But Washington called ‘out an army, and taught 
these people that the government intended to carry out its 


154 THE FIRST HALF-CENTURY OF THE REPUBLIC, 

laws. There were difficulties also with England, Spain, 
and France, but they were all settled without going to war. 

The Seat of Government. — Washington was President for 
eight years. The seat of government was removed from 
New York to Philadelphia in 1790, and in 1800 to the new 
city of Washington, which has since then grown to be one of 
the most beautiful of cities. 

Affairs in the West. — The people of the old States were 
now moving rapidly to the West. They no longer felt it 
necessary to keep near to the sea-coast, and they drove back 
the Indians as they went, and settled in the country west of 
the mountains. Vermont, Kentucky, and Tennessee soon 
became States. The settlers in Ohio had great trouble with 
the Indians, and much fighting took place ; but the hostile 
tribes were at last defeated by General Wayne, and after 
that they continued peaceful for many years. 

Adams and Jefferson. — In 1797, John Adams was made 
President. At that time the people had become divided 
into two political parties, called Republicans and Federalists. 
Thomas Jefferson, the writer of the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence, was the leader of the Republicans, or the Dem- 
ocrats as they were afterwards called, and was elected 
President in 1801. He held the office for eight years. The 
principal difference between these parties was that the Fed- 
eralists wanted a strong central government and the Repub- 
licans were afraid that too much power would be taken 
from the States. 

Louisiana Purchased. — After 1800 the country became 
very prosperous. Commerce grew quite active, and so much 
money came in to the government that the debt was rapidly 
being paid. Up to this time the United States extended 
only as far as the Mississippi River. The great region west 
of that river was claimed by Spain. It had once belonged 


THE SECOND WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 155 


to France, and in 1800 Napoleon induced Spain to give it 
back again to that country. But he was at war with England 
and was afraid it would be taken from him, so he sold it to 
the United States in 1803 for fifteen million dollars. After 
that time the United States extended as far west as the 
Rocky Mountains, and the land bought by Jefferson has 
since then increased wonderfully in value. 

II.— THE SECOND WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 

Interference with American Commerce. — The United 
States had many vessels on the ocean, and certain nations 
of Europe thought they could interfere with these as much 
as they pleased. France and England were at war, and 
both of them meddled with American commerce, which had 
become very great on account of the wars in Europe. In 
fact, this country came very near going to war with France. 
An army was raised and vessels were sent to sea, where 
some fighting took place with French ships of war. But 
the matter was settled and the two countries became friendly 
to one another again. 

War with Tripoli. — The next difficulty was with Tripoli, a 
country in the north of Africa. The people of that country 
were not civilized, and many of them were pirates, who 
spent their time in capturing the vessels of other nations. 
Merchant ships and their cargoes were taken by the pirates 
and all on board were sold as slaves. Some of the nations 
of Europe paid these pirates to let their ships alone. The 
United States did so too for a while, but when Jefferson 
became President he decided that this payment must stop. 
So a fleet of war vessels was sent out to punish the pirates. 

The Loss of the Philadelphia. — One of these war ships, 
the Philadelphia, ran aground and was seized by the Tri- 
politans. A brave young officer. Lieutenant Decatur, deter- 


156 THE FIRST HALF-CENTURY OF THE REPUBLIC. 

mined tliat they should not keep her; so he sailed' into the 
harhor in a little vessel with some American sailors, most of 
whom were hidden from siglit. Tlie people on the frigate 
thought it was one of their own vessels, till it ran against 
the Philadelphia, when the sailors sprang on board, attacked 
the pirates, drove them into the sea, and set the frigate on 
fire, as there was no time to get her under sail. Then the 
gallant Decatur sailed away without heed to the cannon-balls 
which all the forts were firing at him. After four years of 
war the ruler of Tripoli was glad to agree to let the merchant 
vessels of the United States alone. 

The Difficulty with England. — But England would not 
let them alone. That country was still at war with France, 
and wanted all the men she could get for her army and navy. 
So she claimed the right to stop any American vessel at sea 
and take from it every man who had been born in England. 
And in doing this a good many were taken who had not 
been born in England, but were true Americans. 

Interference with Commerce. — This was not all. Eng- 
land said that the ships of no foreign nation should trade 
with France, and France said the same for England. The 
United States had a large trade with both countries, for it 
carried goods for both while they were at war. Many 
American vessels were taken, and this country was almost as 
bad off as if it had been at war itself, for its commerce 
was nearly ruined. 

The Embargo Act. — To put a stop to this state of affairs 
Congress passed what was called the Embargo Act, which 
forbade any American ships to leave port with goods for 
foreign countries. It was thought that this would so injure 
France and England, who needed American goods, that 
they would consent to let our vessels alone. It did injure 
them, but it injured the United States still more. No ocean 


THE SECOND WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN, 


157 


business at all was done, and there was so much distress 
in consequence that the law had to be repealed. A ]N"on- 
Intercourse Act was then passed, which forbade all trade 
with England and France, but left commerce free with 
other countries. 

An Indian War. — The people of the United States were 
now very angry against England, which had continued to 
stop our vessels on the ocean and. take men from them. 
British agents had also gone among the Indians of the 
Xorth-west and incited them to take up arms against the 
Americans. An Indian war took place, in which Tecumseh, 
the Indian chief, was defeated by General Harrison. All 
this made the Americans so bitter against England that they 
determined to fight for their rights, and war with that 
country was declared by Congress. 

The Character of the War. — The war that followed was 
not so interesting nor so important as the war of the Revo- 
lution. There was nothing of much value gained by either 
party, while both of them lost much. England lost far more 
than she had gained by robbing our merchant vessels, and 
America met with some severe losses. 

But when a great nation like England acts like a pirate, 
and begins to rob the vessels of another nation of men and 
goods, war becomes necessary. No people of any spirit would 
long bear such treatment. The United States had endured 
it for years because it felt too poor and weak to combat 
with England, which was one of the richest and strongest 
countries of Europe. The Embargo Act and other means 
to make England respect us were tried, and when they were 
found useless war was declared. 

The Seat of War. — James Madison was now President. 
He had taken his seat in 1809 and remained President for 
eight years. The war began in 1812 and lasted to the end 


158 THE FIRST HALF-CEE TURY OF THE REPUBLIC 


of 1814. It was fought in America and on tlie ocean. The 
United States did not send any soldiers to England, as it 
had no ships and no trained troops for that purpose. But an 
effort was made to take Canada from England, and the 
greater part of the war took place along the line between 
the United States and Canada. 

The Strength of the two Nations. — The United States 
was much stronger than it had been at the time of the 
Revolution. There were now more than seven millions of 
people in the country ; but there were no trained soldiers 
and few able officers, while England had a large army and 
many generals of experience. England was also much 
stronger on the ocean. She had a thousand ships of war, while 
the United States had not more than a dozen, none of them 
very large. Yet all through the war this country gained vic- 
tories on the water, while many battles were lost on the land. 

On Lake Erie. — For over a j^ear armies were sent into 
Canada, but nothing was gained, while the British got pos- 
session of Michigan, and Ohio was in danger. There was a 
British fleet on Lake Erie, and it was feared that they would 
Mse it to land soldiers on the American shores of that lake. 
An active young officer. Captain Oliver Perry, was sent to 
Lake Erie to see what could be done to prevent this. • He at 
once went to work to cut down trees, hew them into shape, 
and build ships. In a short time he had a fleet of small 
vessels, and sailed out to meet the British ships. 

Perry’s Victory. — The two fleets met on the 10th of Sep- 
tember, 1813. A fierce battle followed, in which both sides 
fought with great courage, but the British were beaten and 
forced to surrender. During the fight the ship which Cap- 
tain Perry commanded was shot so full of holes that it was 
ready to sink. So the gallant young officer took his flag 
and rowed in an open boat to another ship. The British 



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THE SECOND WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN, 159 


vessels fired at him as he went, but he escaped unharmed. . 
After the victory he sent to General Harrison this brief dis- 
patch : We have met the enemy, and they are ours.’’ 

American Victories. — As soon as General Harrison re- 
ceived this dispatch he marched towards the enemy, and 
came up with them on the River Thames, in Canada. Here 
the British were defeated and most of them taken prisoners, 
while Tecumseh, the celebrated Indian chief,' was killed. 
This victory drove the British out of Michigan. The next 
year General Winfield Scott won two victories in Canada, 
and in the same year there was a naval battle on Lake 
Champlain, where the English had a strong fleet. Com- 
modore McDonough commanded the American fleet and 
gained a complete victory. After that the British made no 
effort to invade the United States from Canada. 

The Work of the Navy. — On the ocean the Americans 
were victorious in nearly every engagement. The first 
battle was between the American ship Constitution and the 
British ship Guerri^re. They fought for two hours, at the 
end of which time the Guerriere was so full of cannon-ball 
holes that she was sinking and had to surrender. This 
victory made a great sensation in Europe and America. 
The British had long been masters of the ocean, and it was 
thought their ships could not be beaten. Before the end 
of the war American ships had gained many other brilliant 
victories over the war vessels of Great Britain. They had 
shown to the world that England-was no longer mistress 
of the seas.” 

The Burning* of Washing*ton. — In 1814 the British army 
did a disgraceful deed. There was a fleet which had done 
much damage along the coast, and this sailed up Chesapeake 
Bay and landed an army which marched on Washington. 
The city was very poorly defended, and the British took 



strong army was landed and marched to attack that city, 
which there were few Americans to defend. But there was 
a brave and skilful officer, General Andrew Jackson, and he 
soon raised himself an army. He had been fighting with 
the Creek Indians in Alabama, who had made war on the 
whites. These savages he completely defeated. When he 


160 FIRST HALF-CENTURY OF THE REPUBLIC. 

possession of it. They burned the Capitol and other public 
buildings, and many private houses, and then marched out 
aa:ain. Tliis has alwavs been looked on as a shameful act. The 

CD t/‘ 

same fleet made an attack on Baltimore, but was driven offi 
Jackson at New Orleans. — The success of the British at 
Washington was followed by a defeat at New Orleans. A 


BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS. 


THE SECOND WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 161 


saw what the British intended he collected all the men he 
could. Most of them had never seen a battle, but they all 
knew how to use a rifle, and many of them were old hunters 
and skilful marksmen. 

A Hard-foug*ht Battle. — Both armies built breastworks. 
Those of the British were made of sugar hogsheads, and 
those of the Americans of cotton bales. But these were soon 
battered down and set on fire by the cannon-shot, and then 
Jackson built earthworks out of the black mud of the 
river. For some time they fought at a distance with cannon, 
and then the British determined to take the American works 
by storm. They had a large army of veteran soldiers, while 
the Americans were militia ; but these backwoods riflemen 
wasted no bullets. Every time that a rifle was fired an enemy 
fell ; and the men were well protected by their mud walls. 

The British Defeated. — On the 8th of January, 1815, the 
British advanced to the attack. They came on boldly, but 
could not stand the terrible fire of the American riflemen 
and soon were forced to retreat. Again they advanced, and 
once more they fell dead by hundreds. This was enough. 
The battle had lasted only half an hour when the British 
army was in full retreat, having lost its commander, Gen- 
eral Pakenham, and more than two thousand men, while 
only eight of the Americans were killed. 

The Treaty of Peace. — The war was at an end before 
this battle was fought, though the armies at New Orleans 
did not know it. A treaty of peace had been signed ; but 
those were not the days of railroads and telegraphs, and it 
took as many weeks then as it does seconds now to get news 
from New York to New Orleans. So those two thousand 
men lost their lives for nothing. 

The Necessity for Peace. — The war did not end any too 
soon. There was nothing to fight for any longer, and 

11 


162 THE FIRST HALF-CENTURY OF THE REPUBLIC. 

America was suffering greatly. England had ended the 
war which had been kept up for many years with France, 
and wanted no more sailors or goods from American ships. 
There was an immense army, a great fleet, and abundance 
of money to use against this country, which was poor and 
in debt. Its trade was gone, and heavy taxes were laid on 
its people. Some of the States refused to supply any more 
men and money for a war which there was no longer any 
use for. So a treaty of peace was made with the English 
government. 

Industry re-established. — When the news of the treaty 
reached America the whole country was glad. Peace ! 
peace ! ” was the shout in the streets. Some of the cities 
were illuminated. At once business started up. Before 
night of that day shipwrights were at work on the merchant 
ships, making them ready for sea. Sailors were engaged, 
cargoes loaded, and very soon American sails were spread 
again upon the seas, while at home the joyful soldiers 
dropped the sword and the musket and seized the plough- 
handle and the hammer, and the cheerful sounds of industry 
were heard once more throughout the land. 

III.— EVENTS AFTER THE WAR. 

The Barbary States. — After the war affairs in America 
went on very quietly for many years. There was some more 
trouble with the pirates of Northern Africa, who again 
interfered with American commerce. But Commodore 
Decatur, the brave sailor who had burnt the Philadelphia, 
went out with a fleet and very soon frightened the piratical 
states. These were the countries of Algiers, Tunis, and 
Tripoli, known as the Barbary States. They have never 
interfered with American vessels since that time. 

Business Activity. — Business grew active again as soon 


EVENTS AFTER THE WAR. 


163 


as the war was at an end. The farmers sold their crops for 
good prices, the ships found plenty to do, and all the people 
were busy except the mechanics. During the war many fac- 
tories had been built in America, but after the treaty of peace 
English goods were sent to this country in great quantities, 
and sold so low that the American factories had to sell at a 
loss or stop working. This set people to talking about a 
tariff, or a tax on foreign goods, so that they could not be 
sold lower than American goods. 

The Era of Good Feeling*. — After the war the political dis- 
putes in America died away, and soon there was but one 
political party. People no longer voted for the old Federal 
party, and only the party which had been known as the 
Democratic-Republican was left. This party was now 
generally called the Democratic. The period that followed 
has been called the era of good feeling,’’ because the people 
all thought much the same way in politics, and there were 
no political disputes. James Monroe was elected President in 
1816, and held the office for the eight years from 1817 to 1825. 




War with Florida. — While Monroe was President there 
were some troubles with the Indians of Florida, and these 
led to important results. Florida still 
belonged to Spain, and the Spaniards 
stirred up the Seminole Indians to make 
war on Georgia and Alabama. General 
Jackson then commanded the army in the 
South. He was of a hasty temper, and 
he quickly marched his men into Florida 
and took possession of the Spanish town 
of Pensacola. He also hung two Eng- 
lishmen who, he said, led the Indians. 

Jackson was blamed for this, but Spain saw that she could 
not keep Florida, so she asked the United States to buy it. 



ANDREW JACKSON. 


164 THE FIRST HALF-CENTURY OF THE REPUBLIC, 

The price asked for it was five million dollars, which w^as 
much less than a war would have cost. The United 
States was quite willing to pay this sum, and became owner 
of Florida in 1821. 

New States admitted. — The country along the Missis- 
sippi was now filling up with people, and seven new States 
were formed between 1812 and 1821. These were Louisi- 
ana, Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois, Alabama, Maine, and 
Missouri. Ohio had become a State in 1802. These, with 
the thirteen original States, and Vermont, Tennessee, and 
Kentucky, which had been admitted before 1800, made the 
total number twenty-four. 

The Slavery Question. — There was a dispute in Congress 
when Missouri asked to be made a State. This dispute was 
on the question of slavery. As this was to become a very 
important question in later years we must say something 
about it here. In the early days of America there were 
slaves in all the colonies ; but in 1820 very few slaves were 
left in the States north of Virginia. They were still kept in 
the South on account of their use in the cotton, rice, and 
tobacco plantations; but a law had been passed in 1787 
that there should be no slaves in the territory north of the 
Ohio. 

The Missouri Compromise. — When Missouri asked to be 
made a State there were many slaves there already, and a 
debate arose whether it should be a slave or a free State. 
This was settled by what is called The Missouri .Compro- 
mise.’’ A law was passed which said that Missouri might 
come into the Union as a slave State, but that there should 
be no more slave States in the Western country north of the 
latitude of the southern boundary of Missouri. This set- 
tled all trouble about slave States for twenty-five years. 

Internal Improvements. — As the country was filling up 


EVENTS AFTER THE WAR. 


165 


SO fast with people, something had to be done to make it 
easier to travel and carry goods from one place to another. 
There were steamboats on the rivers, but there were no 
railroads, and the carriage roads were very bad. So Con- 
gress began to make good roads in different directions. 
Canals were also made to carry goods cheaply. The great- 
est of these w^as the Erie Canal, of New York. This was 
begun in 1817 and finished in 1825. It runs across the 
State from Albany to Buffalo, a distance of three hundred 
and sixty-three miles, and is of great use in bringing goods 
and grain from the West to the Hudson River. 

The Tariff Question. — Another great question arose in 
Congress during this period. This w^as about a tariff on 
foreign goods. Americans were trying to start factories 
and workshops, and to make articles for their own use ; but 
they had to pay high wages to mechanics, and found that 
they could not sell as low" as the English. Therefore the 
manufacturers of the North asked Congress to lay a tax or 
duty on foreign goods, so that they could not be sold lower 
than those made in America. The South did not w^ant this. 
They did not manufacture much, and thought it would be 
better for them to exchange their cotton for the cheap goods 
of England, rather than for the high-priced goods of the 
North. 

A Protective Tariff. — Thus there were two sides to the 
question, but the tariff party was the stronger, and passed 
a law^ in 1816 laying a tax or duty on manufactured 
foreign goods, to protect the American manufacturers. It 
proved very useful, and the workshops of America quickly 
became busy, and have continued so from that time to the 
present. But the question of the tariff has never been 
settled to please all parties, and it is one of the great political 
questions of the present day. 


166 THE FIRST HALF-CEETURY OF THE REPUBLIC. 

♦ 

Whig'S and Democrats. — In 1824, John Quincy Adams 
was elected President by the party which had been known by 
the two names of Pi-epublican and Democratic. There was 
no other party at that time, for the Republican party which 
we now have was not formed till long afterwards. But while 
Adams was President the one party became divided into 
two, which were afterwards known as the Democratic and 
the Whig parties. It was the tariff and some other ques- 
tions that divided the old party. The Whigs were in favor 
of high tariff and the Democrats of low tariff'. The Whigs 
were strongest in the North, where there were most factories, 
and the Democrats in the South, where low-priced goods 
were wanted. 

IV.—THE PROGRESS OF THE COUNTRY. 

We have now told the story of what took place in the 
political world of America during the fifty years from 
1780 to 1830. But many other things were being done 
during that period. The people were growing more numer- 
ous ; they were gaining new ideas and customs ; new ways 
of doing things were coming into use ; and much was being 
done that does not belong to political history, but which, for 
all that, is of great importance. It is now our purpose to 
tell something about life and industry in America during 
these fifty years. 

Growth of Population. — The first census of the United 
States was taken in 1790 ; that is to say, the number of 
people were counted, and it was found that there were nearly 
four millions of inhabitants. In 1830 there were nearly 
thirteen millions, — more than three times as many. This 
great increase of people had done much to fill up the new 
States in the West. In 1780 the great West was still a wil- 
derness. Daniel Boone had led some settlers into Kentucky 


THE PROGRESS OF THE CO UP TRY. 


167 


and others had gone to Tennessee, but elsewhere the people 
had not moved far back from the ocean. There were great 
hardships to be borne by those who went West, and much 
danger from the Indians, and those who loved comfort and 
safety kept in the old settlements along the coast. 

The Pioneers of the North. — But there were many who 
loved adventure more than they did peace and comfort, and 
hundreds of these went out as pioneers into the wilderness. 
In the region of New England and New York these trav- 
elled with emigrant wagons, making roads through the 
woods as they went. They would clear off the trees and 



THE HOME OF THE PIONEER. 


cultivate a piece of land for a year or two, and then, as 
others settled near them, they would set out again for a new 
home in the wilderness. It was like a great army slowly 
marching forward and sending pioneers in advance, while 
the main body held on to every foot of land that was oc- 
cupied. The Indians retreated step by step before them. 
They could not repel this army of emigrants. 

Emig-ration along the Ohio. — Along the Ohio the emi- 
grants went in a different way. They loaded their goods 
and families on boats and floated down the river till they 
found a good place to settle. It was a dangerous journey. 


168 THE FIRST HALF-CENTURY OF THE REPUBLIC. 


The Indians would fire on them from the woods on the river 
banks, and many were killed or captured. ' Afterwards the 
boats were made stronger so that bullets would not pass 



through them, and in 

« 

some cases they car- 
ried small cannon to 
drive off the foe. But 
for many years the 
journey down the 
Ohio was a danger- 
ous one. 

Settlements in the 
West. — No dangers 
could keep back the 
people, and they 
made many settle- 
ments along the Ohio 
River. Louisville was founded in 1778, and the first houses 
were built at Cincinnati in 1788. The Indians fought with 
the settlers, but they were driven back, and soon there were 
great numbers of people along the Ohio and Mississippi, 
and States began to be formed where not many years before 
all had been a wilderness, the home of the red man and of 
wild beasts. 

How People lived. — In those days things were very dif- 


OLD FARM-HOUSE AND INTERIOR. 



THE PROGRESS OF THE COUNTRY. 169 

ferent from what they are now, even in the largest cities. 
The streets were dirty and poorly paved, while at night they 
were lighted only by a few oil lamps. There were no gas 
and no matches such as we have now, but a piece of flint 
and steel and some tinder were used to make a light. Water 
had to be carried from the pump, and wood was used for 
fires, so that houses were not warmed all through as they 
now are, and most of the rooms had no fires to warm them. 
In winter people slept in freezing cold rooms. 

Most of the people lived on farms, for there were fewer 
workshops to bring them into the cities. Life on the farm 
was very hard. There were none of the excellent machines 
which farmers have now, and the work required great labor, 
while most of the things that were used had to be made at 
home. There were very few amusements in the country, 
and hardly any books and newspapers, and little time for 
anything except hard work. 

In the houses there were still great open fireplaces, where 
logs of wood were burned. Tallow candles were used to 
light the rooms, while most of the people wore clothes of 
homespun, — that is, of cloth made at home from thread spun 
on the spinning-wheel and woven on the hand-loom. Hunt- 
ing and fishing were the principal amusements of the men, 
and the gun and the fishing-rod could be seen in every house. 

Customs of the Rich. — But the rich people in the cities 
lived much better than the farmers and made a great deal 
more display. This class of people dressed more showily 
than they do now. The gentlemen wore white satin vests 
and white silk stockings, with velvet or broadcloth coats ; 
while the ladies wore beautiful silks and satins, and had 
their hair dressed with powder and pomatum and raised 
like a tower above the head. All gentlemen took snuff, and 
to offer the snuff-box was considered an act of politeness. 


170 THE FIRST HALF-CENTURY OF THE REPUBLIC. 

Fine balls were given at which there was much formality, 
and also musical concerts, but the theatre had made no great 
progress. There was much pomp and show at President 
Washington’s receptions: the kings of Europe made little 
more display. But this came to an end after Jefferson was 
made President. He dressed plainly and did away with all 
ceremony. 

Cotton in the South. — There was one thing that happened 
at this time of which we must speak. Among the plants 
which had been early planted in the Southern colonies was 
the cotton-plant. This plant has its seeds covered with a 
fine white down, or fibre, which can be spun into thread and 
made into cloth. Cotton grew in other parts of the world 
and was used for this purpose. The people of the South 
raised some of the plants, but it took so much time and 
trouble to get the seeds out of the cotton that they could 
not make it pay. 

The Cotton Gin. — In 1792 a young man from Massachu- 
setts, named Eli Whitney, went to Georgia to teach while he 
studied law.- One day he was asked if he could not make 
a machine that would separate the cotton seeds from the 
fibre faster than the old way of picking them out by hand. 
He began to experiment, and soon invented a machine 
which did this work very well. It was called the cotton- 
gin. It worked so well that it was soon in use wherever 
the plant was raised, and before many years the cultivation 
of cotton became a great industiy. American cotton came 
into use in all parts of the civilized world, and the South 
grew very rich from the vast quantities of this useful prod- 
uct that were raised and sold. 

The Steamboat invented. — Other inventions -were made, 
one of the most important being the steamboat. Several 
persons tried this. There was one built by James Rumsey in 


THE PROGRESS OF THE COUNTRY. 


171 


1784, and another afterwards by John Fitch, which ran for 
some time on the Delaware. But the first successful steam- 
boat was built by Eobert Fulton in 1807. This was tried 
on the Hudson, and when 
people saw it moving at five 
miles an hour against wind 
and tide they knew that 
a great invention had been 
made. As it went up the 
river to Albany the sailors 
on other vessels were scared 
to see this monster send- 
ing clouds of smoke and 
showers of sparks into the 
air, and making a great 
noise with its paddles and 
machinery. Some of them 
hid below the deck, and 
others fell on their knees and prayed for safety. But before 
long steamboats were running on all the rivers and proved 
of the greatest use. 

On the Western Rivers. — Before the time of steamboats 
it was not easy to travel on the Western rivers. Boats would 
float down the Ohio and Mississippi to New Orleans, but it 
was hard work to row them back against the strong current. 
So they were broken up and sold for lumber, and the sailors 
walked or rode back along the river banks. But after steam- 
boats were put on the rivers there was no trouble in moving 
up as well as down. In 1819 the first steamship crossed the 
Atlantic. It was named the Savannah. 

The Railroad introduced. — There was another great in- 
vention soon to come into use. This was the railroad. The 
first railroad in America is said to have been one built in 



FULTON’S STEAMBOAT. (THE CLERMONT.) 


172 THE FIRST HALF-CENTURY OF THE REPUBLIC. 


1827 at Quincy, Massachusetts. It was only three miles 
long, and the cars were drawn by horses, and carried stone 
from the quarries to the wharves. But about this time the 
locomotive was invented in England by George Stephenson. 

In 1828 the locomotive was tried in America. Farmers 
did not like it at first. They thought it would scare their 



A MODERN STEAMSHIP. 

animals, and that the wool of the sheep would be made 
black by the smoke, so that it could not be sold. But none 
of these things happened, and soon railroads were being 
built in various directions. Nothing else has done so much 
to make a great country of America. 

La Payette visits America. — In 1824, La Fayette came 
to America. He was a French nobleman who had* fought 
for the Americans during the Revolution, and was much 
liked by General Washington. He was now sixty-eight 
years old. He found a wonderful change in the country. 
When he had been here before there was only a thin line 
of settlements along the Atlantic coast. Now he would have 
had to travel a thousand miles from the ocean to visit all 
the States. 


THE PROGRESS OF THE CO UR TRY, 


173 


He was received with joyful greetings by all the people, 
and wherever he went there were parades and processions. 
When he was ready to go home he was sent in a war vessel 
named the Brandywine, and was given a present of two 
hundred thousand dollars in money. There was also given 
him a township of the public lands. 

A Period of Prosperity. — After the war with Great Brit- 
ain the country found itself in a state of great poverty and 
with a heavy debt to pay. But business became so good that 
there was soon more riches in the country than there had 
been before. Tobacco and cotton sold at high prices ; the 
ships had plenty to do ; soon gold watches began to take 
the place of silver, silk goods took the place of cotton, better 
furniture was seen in the houses, and people lived in more 
comfort than of old. 

Coal and Gas. — Up to this time only wood, or soft coal, 
had been burned. The hard coal, or anthracite coal, of 
Pennsylvania was discovered in 1791, but it was long be- 
fore people learned how to burn it, and it was not generally 
used before 1830. Since then it has made our houses much 
more comfortable. Gas was first used for lighting in 1822, 
and soon became common. It proved a very useful inven- 
tion. 

The First Panic. — The prosperous times of which we 
have spoken did not last long. A few years after the war 
business fell into a very bad state. The banks refused to pay 
out any money, no gold or silver was to be had, and hun- 
dreds of persons became poor. It was the first business 
panic of the country, and for several years the people were 
in great distress. After that time business grew better and 
things went on again as before. 


174 THE FIRST HALF-CENTURY OF THE REPUBLIC. 


PART V.-QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 

I. What was the condition of the people after the Eevolution? What 
was done in Massachusetts? In what way were the people well off? What 
was thought of Washington? What did he do? Did Congress have much 
power? Why not? What needed to be done? When and where did the 
Constitutional Convention meet? What great document did it prepare? 

' What were to be the powers of the new government? Of what three bodies 
was it composed ? Of what two bodies is Congress made up ? What are the 
duties of these? What is the duty of the Supreme Court? What is the 
duty of the President? What power has he? Who was the first President, 
and when elected? What city was made the seat of government? What 
troubles took place in Western Pennsylvania? To what place was the seat 
of government removed in 1790? Where in 1800? What three States 
were formed about this time? What took place in Ohio? Who was the 
second President? Who the third? What tw^o parties were there? What 
was the difference between them? What great purchase was made in 1803? 
How far did the United States extend before that time? How far after? 

II. How did France and England deal with American commerce? What 
difficulty arose with France? What was the character of the people of 
Tripoli ? How did they act toward American commerce ? What did Presi- 
dent Jefferson do? Describe the fate of the frigate Philadelphia. How did 
the trouble end? What claim was made by England? How did the French 
and English war affect American trade? What act was passed by Congress? 
What was its purpose? What country did it hurt most? What took 
place among the Western Indians? In what did the dispute end? Who 
was President during the war? When did it begin and how long did it last? 
AVhere did the principal fighting take place? What was the population of 
the country at this time ? How did the American state of preparation for war 
compare with that of England? AVhat American officer was sent to Lake 
Erie? What did he do? What was the result of the battle of Lake Erie? 
What other victories did the Americans win ? Between what ships was the 
first naval battle? What success had the Americans on the ocean? 'VVhat 
city did the British attack in 1814? What did they do there? W hat other 
city did they attack? W^ho commanded the Americans at New Orleans? 
W^hat kind of soldiers had he ? W^hat was the result of the British attack ? 
W^hy was it important to end the war? What effect had the treaty of peace 
on the people? 

III. What took place in Northern Africa? W^hat effect did peace have 
on business? How did it affect manufactures? W’^hat did this set people 
to talking about ? W hat happened to the political parties ? W^hy was 


QUESTIONS FOE EXAMINATION, 


175 


this period called “the era of good feeling”? Who became President in 
1817? What war took place during his Presidency? What was the result 
of the war? How many States were there in 1821 ? What dispute arose 
when Missouri asked to be made a State? Why were slaves kept in the 
South after they were set free in the North? Wliat was the “Missouri Com- 
promise” ? What did Congress do to make travelling easier? What great 
work of public improvement was done in New York? What important 
question now arose in Congress? Why was a tarifi wanted? Why did not 
the South want it? What effect did the tariff have? Who was elected 
President in 1824? What new parties arose while he was President? What 
questions divided the people ? What did the Whigs want, and where were 
they strongest? What the Democrats, and where were they strongest? 

IV. When was the first census of the United States taken? What was 
the population? What increase had taken place by 1830? What was the 
condition of the Western country in 1780? How was emigration westward 
conducted in New York and New England? How along the Ohio? When 
were the first houses built in Cincinnati? What was the condition of the 
cities in those days ? How were they lighted ? How did people strike a 
light? How were houses warmed? Where did most of the people live? 
What was the character of farm-life? What kind of clothes were worn? 
What amusements did the people have? How did the rich people in the 
cities dress? What was considered an act of politeness? What W'ere Presi- 
dent Washington’s receptions like? What President did away with cere- 
mony? What was the most important Southern plant? Why so? What 
trouble was had with it? Who invented the “cotton-gin” ? For what pur- 
pose ? What effect did it have on the South ? Who invented the first useful 
steamboat? How fast did it go? How were sailors affected on seeing it? 
How did people travel on the Western rivers before steamboats were used? 
When did the first steamship cross the Atlantic? What was its name? 
When and where was the first railroad built in America? How were the 
cars drawn? W’^ho invented the locomotive? When was it first tried in 
America? W^hat did the farmers think it would do? W’^ere thev correct? 
Who was La Fayette? WHien did he visit America? What changes did 
he find ? How was he received ? How was business after the war with Great 
Britain? W’^hat improvements did the people make? W’^hen was anthracite 
coal first discovered in Pennsylvania? W’^hen did it come into general use? 
When was gas first used for lighting? When did the first business panic 
take place ? What effect did it have ? 


176 


TWENTY YEARS OF PROGRESS. 


PART VI. 

TWENTY YEARS OF PROGRESS. 

I.— THE TARIFF TROUBLES AND THE PANIC. 

Andrew Jackson as President. — General Andrew Jack- 
son became President in 1829. He was a very popular 
man, for the people did not forget how well he had fought 
at New Orleans; so he was elected twice and was President 
for eight years, from 1829 to 1837. Yet he was a man 
without education, and was rough in his manners and 
obstinate in his opinions. What he thought it right to do 
he did, without caring for anybody’s opinion. But men 
who act in that way are apt to make mischief, for it takes 
more than one to tell what it is best to do when great 
questions arise. 

The South Carolina Trouble. — The first difficulty that 
arose was about the tariff. The people of South Carolina 
did not like the tariff, and they passed a law saying that * 
foreign goods should come into that State without paying 
duties. This was against the Constitution, which said that 
only Congress could pass laws of that kind. But the law- 
makers of South Carolina declared that if Congress inter- 
fered with what had been done the State would not remain 
in the Union, but would be made a separate nation. 

President Jackson was a Democrat, and therefore belonged 
to the party that was in favor of low tariff. But it was his 
duty to carry out the laws, and this he determined to do, 
He said that South Carolina should pay the duties, and sent 


THE TARIFF TROUBLES AND THE PANIC. 


177 


war ships to Charleston to make the people obey the laws. 
Everybody knew that Jackson meant what he said, and that 
he would force the State to remain in the Union and to obey 
the laws made by Congress, if he had to do it with an army. 

But about this time Congress passed a law to lower the 
tariff, a part of which was to be taken off every year for ten 
years. This settled the trouble. South Carolina withdrew 
her Ordinance of Secession,’’ and there was no more talk 
of leaving the Union. 

The Bank Question. — The next great question was about 
the United States Bank. This bank had been started in 
1816, and was to continue for twenty years. Its charter 
would run out in 1836, and Congress was asked for a new 
one. A. bill was passed to give it a charter, but the Presi- 
dent would not sign it, so it did not become a law. He 
also took away the government money from the bank. 

This proved to be a serious matter, and helped to bring 
the country into great trouble. When it was found that the 
United States Bank must stop. State banks started up all over 
the country, and these lent money freely to speculators. But 
this was only paper money, and the banks had very little 
gold and silver to make it good. 

The Panic of 1837. — At that time there was much specu- 
lation in Western lands, and much also in foreign goods. ■ 
Business was brisk, and every one thought the country was^ 
prosperous. But nearly all this business was done on the 
paper money of the State banks and on credit. It all ended 
in one of the greatest panics in business the country has 
ever known. The President said that gold and silver must 
be paid for the W estern lands, and this brought on the panic. 
All over the States the banks ceased the payment of coin, 
merchants were ruined, factories closed, and business came 

nearlv to an end. There were failures for millions of 
«/ 

12 


178 


TWENTY YEARS OF PROGRESS. 


dollars, and many thousands of people could get no work 
to do and little food to eat. This began in 1837 and con- 
tinued for a year, but it was several years before the effects 
of it were over. 

Van Buren and Harrison. — A new President had been 
elected in 1836, and began his term in 1837. His name was 
Martin Van Buren. He was a Democrat; but by the time 
of the next election, in 1840, the business troubles had 
changed the opinions of many of the people, and General 
Harrison, a Whig candidate, was elected President. But he 
lived only one month after taking his seat as President, and 
the Vice-President, John Tyler, took his place. Harrison 
was the first President to die in office. 

Indian Wars. — We must now go back and tell of some 
Indian wars that took place while Jackson was President. 
As the people pushed farther into the country they met new 
tribes of Indians. These were often treated very unjustly 
by the white settlers, many of whom were rough and brutal 
men. The Indians took up arms to defend themselves, and 
then war began. 

One of these wars broke out in 1832, in the North-west. 
It was with the Sac and Fox Indians, who were led by a 
chief named Black Hawk. There was some hard fighting 
before they were defeated and forced to yield. 

A much more serious war was with the Seminole Indians 
of Florida. This war began in 1835, and continued for 
about seven years. The Indians hid in the swamps and 
what are called the everglades of Florida, so that the soldiers 
had much trouble to find them. They would rush out and 
do what harm they could and then hurry back to their 
hiding-places. Many soldiers were killed, and it cost the 
United States thirty millions of dollars to overcome these 
Indians. Finally they were forced to submit. 


THE WAR WITH MEXICO 


179 


A large district of fertile land had been set aside and 
called the Indian Territory. Here the Seminoles were sent 
and also the Cherokees and other Southern tribes. Several 
Northern tribes were afterward sent there. The whites were 
not permitted to interfere with them, and the tribes of the 
Territory grew prosperous and adopted civilized habits. 

John Tyler as President. — After the death of General 
Harrison the Vice-President, John Tyler, became President, 
as we have said. He did not please the party that elected 
him, as he vetoed several bills which they wished to pass. 
One of these bills was to establish a national bank, like 
that which President Jackson had brought to an end. 

The War for Freedom in Texas. — The most important 
affair which occurred while Tyler was President was the re- 
quest of Texas to be made a part of the United States. Texas 
had been held by Spain since the time La Salle’s colony 
was destroyed by the Spaniards. AVhen Mexico gained its 
freedom from Spain, Texas became part of it. But many 
Americans had settled in Texas, and they did not like the 
way in which they were treated by the Mexican government. 
So they rebelled and began a war for freedom. 

This war began in 1835, and in 1836 the Mexicans were 
defeated and forced to leave the country. Texas became in- 
dependent. But after some years it asked to be made a part 
of the United States. The Northern people were opposed to 
this, for they knew that it would be a slave State ; but finally, 
in 1845, it was accepted as a State. This was a large addi- 
tion to the United States, for Texas is an extensive country. 

II.— THE WAK WITH MEXICO, 

The Opening* of the War. — The people of Mexico were 
very much dissatisfied to find that Texas had been made 
part of the United States. They claimed that it still belonged 


180 


TWENTY YEARS OF PROGRESS. 


to Mexico. And there was a dispute about the boundary. 
Mexico claimed that the boundary was the Nueces River, 
and Texas that it was the Rio Grande, a hundred miles 
farther west. Both countries sent armies into this disputed 
territory, and as soon as they met they began to fight. Two 
battles were fought. The Americans gained a victory in 
each, and the Mexicans had to retreat. 

The Advance into Mexico. — General Taylor was in com- 
mand of the American army. He now crossed the Rio 
Grande and took possession of Matamoras, a Mexican town. 
When the news of this was received there was great ex- 
citement. Many of the people did not want to go to war^ 
but others did, and Congress voted in favor of war. Many 
volunteers joined General Taylor’s army, and he marched 
into the country and captured the strong city of Monterey, 
where there were ten thousand Mexican troops. 

The Battle of Buena Vista. — General Taylor pushed on 
into the mountain region. He had only five thousand men, 
and the Mexican general, Santa Anna, was marching against 
him with more than twenty thousand. They met on Feb- 
ruary 22, 1847, at a place called Buena Vista. General 
Taylor was in great danger, for most of his men were vol- 
unteers, while the Mexicans were trained soldiers. But he 
took possession of a narrow pass through the mountains. 
All day long the Mexicans tried to drive the American army 
out of this pass, but they could not do it, and at night they 
retreated in great haste and disorder. 

Polk and Taylor as Presidents. — The news of this victory 
was heard with much joy by the people of the United States. 
General Taylor was regarded as a great military hero, and 
the next year he was elected President of the United States. 
During the Mexican war James K. Polk was President. He 
had been elected by the Democratic party in 1844. 








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THE WAR WITH MEXICO, 


181 


The Capture of Vera Cruz. — There was no more fighting 
in the north of Mexico. It had been decided to carry the 
war to the south, and General Scott was sent with a fleet 
and army to attack the city of Vera Cruz, the principal sea- 
port of Mexico. There was a very strong fortress at Vera 
Cruz, but it was soon forced to surrender. The Mexicans 
could not stand the cannon-balls that w^ere poured like hail- 
stones into their fort. 

The March to the City of Mexico. — The road from Vera 
Cruz to the City of Mexico is over a mountainous country, 
and the passes in these mountains were held by the Mexi- 
cans. Their army was much stronger than that of General 
Scott, but he marched on and drove them back wherever 
he met them. When the Americans got near the city there 
w^ere many battles to fight, but every one of them ended in 
a victory for General Scott’s army. 

The most important battle was at Chapultepec. This was 
a strong fort on the top of a very steep hill. The Americans 
had to climb up the hill and get into the fort by ladders? 
while musket- and cannon-balls came down on them like 
hail ; but they fought their way up the hill and got into 
the fort, from which they drove the Mexicans. 

. The next day, September 14, 1847, the Americans con- 
tinued to advance until they reached the City of Mexico, of 
which they took possession. That was the last battle of the 
war, and Santa Anna, the Mexican President, asked for 
peace. 

The War elsewhere. — But this is not the whole story of 
the war. While the fighting we have described was taking 
place, an army under General Kearney had marched into 
New Mexico and taken possession of it. Captain John C. 
Fremont, with sixty men, was at this time in California. 
He had been sent there to explore the country, but as soon 


182 


TWENTY YEARS OF PROGRESS, 


as he heard that war was going on he got the American 
settlers to join him, and began to drive out the Mexican 
soldiers. He was helped in this by an American fleet, and 
soon all California was held by the United States. 

New Territory acquired. — At the end of the war the 
American army had full possession of New Mexico and 
California, and when the treaty of peace was signed Mexico 
agreed to give up this territory, for which the United States 
was to pay fifteen million dollars. Thus a great district, 
containing more than half a million square miles, was added 
to the United States. This district contains the States of 
California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Colorado and Wyo- 
ming, with the Territories of Arizona and New Mexico. 

No one dreamed at that time how valuable was this new 
territory. Some thought that the money paid for it was 
more than it was worth. It was thinly settled by Mexicans, 
with a few American settlers. Little gold had been found 
in it by the Alexicans, though they had been looking for 
gold for very many years. So they did not think the 
country of much value, and were very willing to give it up 
to the United States for the money paid. 

The Discovery of Gold. — But it was not long before they 
would have given ten times as much to have it back again ; 
for the Americans were not long there before gold was found. 
A workman who was building a mill-dam in the Sacra- 
mento Valley found shining yellow particles in the gravel. 
He eagerly gathered some of this mineral, took it to his em- 
ployer, had it tested, and proved it to be gold. At once 
everybody quit working and went on the hunt for gold. 
Plenty of it was found, and when the news was heard by 
the people of the East they began to emigrate in great num- 
bers to the West, every one eager to make his fortune. 

There was gold in very many parts of the territory. It 


THE WORK OF THE PEOPLE. 


183 


was found in the sand, in the river-beds, in the rock ; in 
dust, and in lumps. It was like a fairy tale, and thousands 
of people hurried to California, eager for gold. Silver 
mines were also discovered, and since that time an immense 
amount of gold and silver has been taken from that country 
which at first was thought of so little value. But California 
would be rich if it had no gold or silver. Its soil is very 
fertile, and every year great quantities of grain and fruits 
are raised. The timber on its mountains is also of great 
value. The Mexicans made nothing of it in three hundred 
years, but the Americans have made it a rich and populous 
State in much less than one hundred. 

III.— THE WOKK OF THE PEOPLE. 

Increase of Territory. — In the period which we have just 
considered the country had made great progress. Let us 
stop here and take a look back at what had been done. 

First, it is important to consider the size of the United 
States. We have told how it had gained a great territory 
from Mexico. But other territory had come to it of which 
we must now tell the story. 

Lewis and Clark’s Expedition. — When France sold the 
country west of the Mississippi to the United States no one 
knew how large that country was, or what might be found 
in it. So two men, Captains Lewis and Clark, were sent 
out to see what it was like. There were thirty men with 
them, and they left St. Louis in 1804, and were more than 
two years in a wilderness where no white man had ever set 
foot before. They went up the Missouri River as far as they 
could, and then crossed the Rocky Mountains and went down 
the Columbia River till they reached the Pacific Ocean. 

They had wonderful stories to tell, when they came back, 
of the tribes they had seen and the adventures they had met 


184 


TWENTY YEARS OE PROGRESS. 


with. They Avere probably the tirst white men who beheld 
the great herds of buflalo of the Western plains. They had 
seen herds of them a mile Avide crossing the rivers like a 
great army. 

The Fur Trade. — These explorers found that the Indians 
of the Pacific coast had furs to sell, and a New York mer- 
chant named John Jacob Astor, sent men there to trade for 
furs. He grew very rich in this business. His trading post 
was afterwards sold to a British fur company, and on this 
account the British wished to lay claim to the territory 
about the Columbia River. 

The Story of Oregon. — In 1792 Captain Robert Grray, 
the first to carry the American flag around the Avorld in 
his ship, the Columbia, discoA^ered and entered a great riA^er 
on the Pacific coast, to A\diich he gave the name of his 
A^essel. The Oregon country AA^as afterAA^ards exj)lored by 
Captains LeAAus and Clark, in 1804—06. 

An Agreement. — The Hudson’s Bay Company, which 
controlled the fur trade of British America, extended its 
business into Oregon, and an agreement AA^as made in 1818 
permitting the people of the United States and Great Britain 
to fish, hunt, and trade there for ten years. This Avas after- 
wards reneAved from year to year. 

American Settlers. — In 1832 the American fur traders 
in Oregon were followed there by a party of settlers, and 
others folloAA^ed until, by 1846, there Avere several thousand 
Americans in the country. There had long been a question 
betAveen England and the United States as to the proper 
boundary betAveen their Avestern possessions. England ex- 
tended her claim south Avard to the Columbia River; the 
Americans claimed to 54° 40', the southern boundary of 
Alaska. A comjAromise Avas finally made, the parallel of 
49° beins: chosen as the boundary. 

O 


THE WORK OF THE PEOPLE. 


185 


The Oregon Treaty. — In 1816 a treaty was made witli 
England which decided that the country which we now 
know as the States of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, 
with Montana and Wyoming west of the main range of the 
mountains, was part of the United States. 

Growth of the Country. — The great republic had made 
a wonderful growth in fifty years. In 1800 the United 
States was bounded on the west by the Mississippi River, and 
on the south by Florida. It did not reach to the Gulf of 
Mexico, for Florida had a strip of land fifty miles wide 
along the Gulf coast. By 1850 it had gained Florida and 
the whole vast country between the Mississippi River and 
the Pacific Ocean, together with Texas* and the whole of 
Northern Mexico. In fifty years it had grown to three 
times its original size, and had become one of the greatest 
countries on the earth. We may well call this a wonderful 
progress. 

Population. — The population was growing as fast as the 
country. Many steamships now crossed the ocean, and im- 
migrants were coming in by thousands. Most of these set- 
tled in the East, but great numbers of the Eastern people 
went west. This was not difficult to do. Everv river had 
its steamboats, and railroads were being built in all parts of 
the country, so that it was becoming an easy matter to travel 
long distances. New cities started up in the West. In 1830 
there was only a fort at Chicago. Now it is one of the largest 
cities in the country. In other places where there are large 
cities now there was only the wilderness then. 

Emigration West. — But there were no railroads or steam- 
boats to carry emigrants across the Rocky Mountains to the 
Pacific coast. Those who went there had to travel in 
wagons drawn by oxen or horses. It was a journey of great 
hardships and danger. The emigrants were often attacked 


186 


TWENTY YEARS OF PROGRESS. 


and murdered by the Indians. Sometimes they were smoth- 
ered in the snows, or died of starvation. The road was 
marked by the bones of dead animals. Yet thousands 
crossed that way, and the Western country rapidly filled up. 

The Mormons. — It was the desire for gold and silver that 
took most of these emigrants across the mountains. Others 
went to settle on farms or to do business in cities. But 
some of tliem went for a different purpose. These were 
the Mormons, a religious sect which had been started by a 



PRAIRIE LANDSCAPE. 


man named Joseph Smith, who said he had found a book 
of religious teachings written on gold plates that were 
buried in the earth. He called this the Book of Mormon.’^ 
The Mormons first settled in the region near the Mississippi 
River, but the people did not like their doings, and mobs 
drove them away. So in the end they crossed the moun- 
tains and settled in the country since known as Utah, and 
whicli was made a Territory of tlie United States in 1850. 

Increase of Wealth. — The country was now growing very 


THE WORK OF THE PEOPLE, 


187 


rich and populous. In 1830 the population was about 
thirteen millions. In 1850 it was over twenty-three millions, 
— nearly twice as many. New farming lands were being 
cleared, and workshops and great factories were being built 
in all directions. One could hear the rattle of machinery all 
over the land. America no longer depended on England for 
goods. The greatest variety of goods was made here ; but 





lit, 












STEAM-TUG WITH LUMBER RAFT. 


much also came across the ocean, and the shops were filled' 
with costly articles. 

Mines and Forests. — Among the riches of America must 
be named the products of the mines. Pennsylvania brought 
great quantities of coal and iron into the market. In New 
York there were mines of salt. Lead mines were worked in 
Illinois and Iowa, and rich copper mines in Michigan. 









188 


TWENTY YEARS OF PROGRESS. 


Since that time these substances have been found in other 
places, while gold and silver have been found in many parts 
of the Rocky Mountains. The forests of America are also 
of very great value, and every year immense quantities of 
timber are cut, to be made into ships, houses, furniture, and 
very many other things. 

All this brought much money to the government, and in 
1835 the last of the national debt was paid. The govern- 
ment had more money than it wanted, and gave what it did 
not need to the States. 

Valuable Inventions. — During this period there were 
many inventions, some of which have proved very valuable. 
Among these is the electric telegraph, which is almost as 
important as the railroad. Samuel F. B. Morse was the 
American inventor of this. His first patent was taken out 
in 1837, but people could not be made to believe in the tele- 
graph, and it was not tried, except for short distances, till 
1844. Then a line was established from Baltimore to 
Washington. It proved a great success, and there are now 
more than two hundred thousand miles of telegraph in the 
United States. 

Other inventions of great value were made. One of these 
was the reaping-machine, which has been a very great help 
to farmers. Another was the friction-match. It is so easy 
now to strike a light and make a fire that it seems strange 
how people ever got along without matches. Another great 
invention was that of vulcanized rubber. Before then india- 
rubber was soft and of little use; but by mixing sulphur 
with it it was made hard and firm, and it came into use for 
a great many purposes. The sewing-machine, which was 
invented in 1846, was quite as useful. Before that time all 
sewing had to be done by hand, and the labor was very 
great. Besides these there were hundreds of other inven- 


THE WORK OF THE PEOPLE. 


189 


tions, all of which have helped people to live better, and to 
do more work with less labor. 

The Postal Service. — For a lono; time the government 
had been carrying letters for the j^eople ; but at first very 
few were carried, and these went very slowly. Benjamin 
Franklin was the first Postmaster-General. The cost of the 
postal service then was great. But the railroads made 
the expense small, while the speed became much greater. 
Before 1850 it had cost ten cents to send a letter from Phila- 
delphia to Boston. In 1863 the price was lowered to three 
cents for all parts of the country and there was a very great 
increase in the number of letters sent. In 1883 postage 
was reduced to two cents. There are thousands of letters 
sent to-day for every one that was sent a hundred years 
ago. 

News Carriag-e. — It is not only by the postal service that 
news is now carried over the United States. The electric 
telegraph, of which we have just spoken, is used by millions 
of people to send messages, not only over land, but under 
the seas, so that every morning the newspapers tell us of 
what took place in all parts of the world the day before. 
Not only messages, but pictures, can be sent by telegraph ; 
and by the aid of the wonderful telephone men can hear the 
voices of their friends hundred of miles away. 

Wireless Telegraphy. — A still more wonderful invention 
in this direction is that of telegraphing without wires. Peo- 
ple are now able to send messages to each other for many 
miles through the air, and also to send news to shore from 
ships that are far out of sight of land. This is one of the 
most remarkable discoveries of the nineteenth century. 

The Prisons. — In old times the prisons were very badly 
managed and those confined in them were treated cruelly. 
Most of the States whipped their prisoners and ill treated 


190 


TWENTY YEARS OF PROGRESS. 


them in other ways. One State kept its criminals in an old 
copper-mine. Men were sent to prison for debt. All this is 
now done away with, and prisoners in most of the States are 
well treated. They are made to work, but they have clean 
and healthful rooms and good food. 

Education. — Education had also very much improved. 
Public schools had been established in nearly all the States, 

and many more of the peo- 
ple were educated than in 
the past. But the methods 
of teaching and the school- 
books used were still poor, 
and they have been im- 
proving ever since. In the 
early days of the country 
there had been little time 
for study or amusement ; 
most of the time was taken 
to make q living. But now 
people had more time to themselves, and more money, and 
they paid much more attention to public affairs and to 
education. 

The Temperance Reform. — A great work was being done 
by the temperance societies. In former times nothing was 
thought of seeing people drunk, and even church people 
would drink strong liquors. Rum and whiskey were kept 
in every house and offered to every visitor.- But the tem- 
perance societies began to teach the people that this was 
wrong, and lecturers Avere sent to all parts of the country to 
talk about the evils of intemperance. Many people ceased 
drinking and many more quit keeping liquor in their 
houses. It became a disgrace to be seen drunk, and it is 
becoming more and more a disgrace every day. 



THE WORK OF THE PEOPLE, 


191 


Doctors showed that rum killed more people than any 
disease, and that a great part of the sickness, crime, and 
poverty of the country was caused by intemperance. This 
had never been shown before, and very many persons signed 
the pledge not to drink. 

Newspapers and Books. — The temperance movement 
was greatly helped by other things which took the people 



A MODERN PRINTING-PRESS. 


away from drinking-saloons. Most of' the people had 
learned how to read, and newspapers were now published 
in all the cities and spread throughout the country. These 
papers were much larger and had much more in them than 
those of the past, though they were not as large as those we 
have now. 

Books were also far more plentiful and much cheaper. 
Those who at one time did not know how to spend their 
time now had no trouble. There were many innocent 
amusements, and it was not necessary to go for pleasure to 
drinking-places or other localities where bad habits might 
be learned. 

Authors and Orators. — Many Americans were now 
writing books which were read all over the civilized world. 
At one time the English had laughed at the idea of any one 


192 


TWENTY YEARS OF PROGRESS. 


reading an American book, but they ' now began to read 
works by American authors themselves. And it was ad- 
mitted that America had some of the greatest statesmen of 
the world. Daniel Webster was one of the ablest orators 
that had ever lived, and there were many other men of 
great ability in the American Congress. 

Thus it may be seen that the United States had made 
wonderful progress in every way. It was a very different 
country from what it had been at the time of the Revolu- 
tion. It was then one of the small and poor countries of 
the world ; now it had become one of the great and rich 
nations. But it had a terrible trial to go through yet, in 
which all its wealth and power were to be employed to the 
utmost. The story of this great trial we have next to tell. 


PART VI.-QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 

I. Who became President in 1829? Why was he popular? What was 
his character? What difficulty arose with South Carolina? What did that 
State do? What did Jackson do? What did Congress do to end the dis- 
pute ? What other great question arose ? How long did the United States 
Bank have to run? What did Jackson do about the bank charter bill? 
What effect did it have? What was the condition of business and specula- 
tion before 1837 ? What action did Jackson take about the Western lands? 
What followed? Describe the panic of 1837? AVho became President in 
1837? Who in 1841? What happened to him? Who succeeded him'i^ 
What war took place in 1832 in the North-west? What war broke out in 
Florida? How long did it last? Why did it continue so long? What was 
done with the Seminoles ? What is the Indian Territory used for ? What 
important affair took place while Tyler was President ? How did the Texan 
war end? When was Texas accepted as a State of the Union? 

II. What claim was made by Mexico about Texas? What boundary dis- 
pute was there ? What took place in the disputed region ? What did General 
Taylor do ? Where did he meet Santa Anna’s army ? How did the armies 
compare in size ? What was the result of the battle ? Who was elected 
President in 1844 ? What Mexican city was attacked by General Scott? To 
vffiat point did he march from Vera Cruz? What was the result of his 


QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 


193 


Dattles with the Mexicans ? Describe the battle of Chapultepec. When was 
the City of Mexico taken ? What did Fremont do in California? What 
new territory did the United States acquire by the treaty of peace? 
What present States and Territories does it comprise ? What was thought 
then of the value of this territory ? Describe the finding of gold in California 
What other precious metal was found ? What other value has California? 
What effect did the discovery of gold have upon emigration ? 

III. Who were the first to explore the Western territory of the United 
States ? What did they tell on their return ? What is said of the fur trade 
on the Pacific ? What did the British do to keep American emigrants away ? 
What did Dr. Whitman do ? How many people were in Oregon by the end 
of 1844? What treaty was made in 1846? What were the boundaries of 
the United States in 1800? What had it gained by 1850? How was emi- 
gration made easier ? What was the condition of Chicago in 1830 ? What 
is it now ? How did emigrants cross the Kocky Mountain region ? What 
hardships and dangers did they encounter? Tell the story of the Mormons. 
What was the population in 1830 ? What in 1850 ? What was the prog- 
ress in industry ? What is said about the mines of America ? Who in- 
vented the American electric telegraph ? In what year was the first line 
built? How many miles of telegraph are there now in the United States? 
What other important inventions were made ? How was india-rubber made 
useful ? When was the sewing-machine invented ? What did it cost to send 
letters before 1850? What after? When did the two-cent postage begin ? 
How were the prisons managed in old times ? How are they now ? How 
were the schools then ? How are they now? Was drunkenness common in 
old times? What did the temperance societies do? What did the doctors 
show about intemperance ? What is now thought about it ? What is said 
about newspapers and books ? What did the English think about American 
books ? What do they think now ? Who was the greatest American 
orator ? 


13 


194 


THE ERA OF THE CIVIL WAR. 


PART Vll. 

THE ERA OP THE CIVIL WAR. 

I.— THE SLAVERY CONTROVERSY. 

An Important Question. — ^The portion of the history of 
our country which is now before us is a very important one. 
We have to tell how a serious question, which had made 
trouble between the North and South for yearg, and which 
Congress could not settle to please all the people, in time 
brought on one of the greatest wars the world has ever 
known. And we have also to tell how four years of hard 
fighting and killing of people and ruin of property became 
necessary to end the difficulty which could not be settled in 
peace. The war did much harm, but it did much good 
also, for it saved the country from future danger. 

The question was that of slavery. We must go back and 
tell how it arose. As we have already said, at one time there 
were slaves in all the colonies. Later on they were all set 
free in the North. It began to look as if they would be 
freed in the South also, for it seemed as if they were of no 
great use. But when the planters began to raise cotton in 
large quantities the slaves became very useful to them. 
They thought the cotton-fields could not be worked without 
them. Buying and selling slaves also became an important 
business. On account of this the people of the South gave 
up all thought of doing ^vithout slaves, but looked on them 
as their most valuable property. 


THE SLAVERY CONTROVERSY. 


195 


The Missouri Compromise. — When the new States west 
of the Mississippi began to come into the Union, the South 
wanted to have them made slave States and the North 
wanted them to be free States. This question was settled for 
a time, in 1820, by the Missouri Compromise,” of which we 
have already told. Congress decided that Missouri should 
be a slave State, but that no more slave States should be 
made north of the latitude of its southern boundary. There 
was no more difficulty of this kind until 1850. But many 
people in the North thought that all slavery was wrong and 
should be done away with, and they formed societies, and 
helped slaves to escape from their masters. They believed 
they were doing a good work in this, but the Southern 
people declared that they were being robbed of their prop- 
erty, and grew very indignant. 

The Fugitive Slave Law. — In 1850 there was a law passed 
for the return of runaway slaves to their masters. It was 
thought this would settle the trouble, but it only made it 
.worse. The party opposed to slavery grew stronger, and did 
all it could to keep those who were claimed as slaves from 
being taken South. 

The Kansas Trouble. — Millard Fillmore was now Presi- 
dent. General Taylor had been made President by the 
Whig party in 1849, but he died the next year, and Fillmore, 
the Vice-Pres"dent, took his place. The next election was 
held in 1852. ‘and Franklin Pierce was elected by the Dem- 
ocrats. The trouble increased while he was President. Two 
new Territories were formed west of Missouri, and named 
Kansas and Nebraska. According to the Missouri Compro- 
mise no slaves would be allowed in these when they became 
States, because they lay north of the boundary settled upon 
in 1820. But a dispute arose as to whether they should be 
free or slave States, and in 1854 a bill was passed which 


196 


THE ERA OF THE CIVIL WAR. 


said that the people of these Territories should settle that 
question for themselves. 

This law caused much angry and bitter feeling. It set 
aside the Missouri Compromise and opened the whole diffi- 
culty again. People began to hurry into Kansas. The 
South wanted to get the mosc men there, so that when it 
came to a vote they could vote for slavery. The Korth 
tried to do the same thing, so that they could vote against 
slavery. 

Very soon these men of different opinions began to fight 
Towns were burned and people were killed in Kansas. 
Votes were taken and both parties claimed to have won. 
One party tried to organize a slave State and the other a 
free State, and the people of the Territory for a long time 
were at war. 

The New Parties. — While these things were going on 
political changes were taking place. The old Whig party 
ceased to exist, and there came up a new one called the 
Free Soil party. It was opposed to the making of any more, 
slave States. In 1856 the Free Soil became part of a new 
party, the Republican. After this the people were divided 
into the two leading political sections which we still have, 
the Republican and th*e Democratic parties. These have 
several points of difference, but the principal one at that 
time was slavery. 

In 1856, James Buchanan was elected President by the 
Democratic party. He had a stormy time before him, for 
the excitement of the people was becoming very great. 
The feeling against slavery was spreading in the North, 
while the South was bitter against those who were helping 
the slaves to escape. 

The John Brown Raid. — This feeling was greatly increased 
by an event which took place in 1859. There was an old 


THE SLAVERY CONTROVERSY. 


197 


man, named John Brown, who had been very active in Kan- 
sas, and had fought fiercely against the Southern party there. 
He was so bitter against slavery that he thought it was his 
duty to stir up the slaves to rebel against their masters and 
make themselves free by force. 

So he led a party to Harper’s Ferry, in Virginia, where 
there was an arsenal belonging to the government. He took 
possession of this. It was his purpose to get the slaves to- 
gether, give them arms from the arsenal, and lead them to 
fight for their freedom. But no slaves came to help him, 
and very soon he and his party were taken prisoners by a 
force of United States soldiers. 

John Brown was given up to the authorities of Virginia, 
who tried him for treason. He was found guilty and 
hanged. 

Election of Lincoln. — This event stirred up the feelings 
of the people more than ever. Many who thought that 
John Brown was wrong felt sympathy for him, and when 
the time came for the next Presidential election, in 1860, 
the two parties were very bitter against each other, while 
the Republican party had grown much 
stronger. When the votes were counted 
it proved that the Republicans had 
elected their candidate. This was Abra- 
ham Lincoln, of Illinois, who took his 
seat as President of the United States on 
the 4th of March, 1861. 

When he was elected the country was 
at peace, and most of the people had no 
idea that war would follow. When he 
took his seat the country was on the 
verge of war. We have now to tell how this change came 
about. 



198 


THE ERA OF THE CIVIL WAR. 


II.— FROM SECESSION TO EMANCIPATION. 

The State Rights Doctrine. — The election was no sooner 
over than trouble began. The political leaders in South 
Carolina had said that that State would secede if Lincoln 
was elected President. What did they mean by this ? Let 
us see. The United States, as we know, is made up of a 
number of States which have joined together to form one 
country. Some people believed that each State had the 
right to withdraw again if it wished, and carry on its gov- 
ernment alone. This is known as the “ State Rights” 
doctrine. Others believed that the States had no right to 
withdraw, and that they had given up all such rights when 
they came into the Union. 

This was the question that was now before the people, — 
whether the United States was strong enough to hold to- 
gether as a single nation, or so weak that the States could 
leave the Union at their will. This problem was to be set- 
tled in the next four years. 

Seven States secede. — As soon as it was known that 
Lincoln had been elected. South Carolina determined to 
secede. A convention of delegates met, and on December 
20, 1860, it was declared to the world that this State was no 
longer a part of the United States, but an independent na- 
tion, that it could not be kept in the Union against its will, 
and that in future it intended to govern itself. Very soon 
afterwards all the States that border on the Gulf of Mexico 
did the same thing. Seven States in all declared that they 
were out of the Union. 

The Confederacy formed. — These States then joined to- 
gether and called themselves the Confederate States of 
America. Jefferson Davis- was elected President, and Alex- 
ander H. Stephens, Vice-President, and Montgomery. Ala- 



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REFERENCE MAP 

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CIVIL WAR, 1861-65 

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200 


EXPLANATION 

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FROM SECESSION TO EMANCIPATION. 


199 


bama, was selected as the capital of the new Confederacy. 
These States seized the forts and the war material in their 
territory, for they expected that they would not be allowed 
to go in peace. But some forts were held by United States 
officers and soldiers who would not give them up. One of 
these was Fort Sumter, in Charleston 
harbor, which was held by Major Rob- 
ert Anderson. 

Fort Sumter bombarded. — It was 
thus that matters stood when Abraham 
Lincoln took his seat as President, on 
the 4th of March, 1861. The Confed- 
erate authorities at Charleston had 
determined that Fort Sumter should 
be theirs, and had built batteries on 
the shores of the bay near it. On the 
12th of April, 1861, they began to fire on the fort. Major 
Anderson fired back. This continued for two days. At 
the end of that time the fort was much injured, its barracks 
were on fire, and nearly all its powder was gone. So Major 
Anderson consented to give it up, as he could defend it no 
longer. 

Preparing for War. — When the news of this event spread 
through the country it caused great excitement. All hope 
of peace was gone. Everybody now saw that there must 
be war if the country was to be kept together. The Presi- 
dent called for volunteers, and great numbers offered. In 
the South four more States seceded, — Virginia, ITorth Caro- 
lina, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Everywhere men were 
gathering, drilling, and marching. It was clear that before 
many days they would meet in deadly conflict. 

The Battle of Bull Run. — Thousands of volunteers hur- 
ried to Washington to save that city from danger. A 




200 


THE ERA OF THE CIVIL WAR. 


Southern army collected in Virginia, just south of Wash- 
ington. On the 21st of July these two armies met near 
Bull Run, a small stream a few miles away from Washing- 
ton. Here the first important battle of the war was fought. 
There were about thirty thousand men on each side. They 
were all new troops, but they fought well. For a while it 
looked as if the Union army would win; but just then a 
'fresh force joined the Confederate army, and on seeing this 
' the Union ranks broke into disorder, and the soldiers fied in 
a panic to Washington. The Southern army had gained 
the victory. 

This battle had a great effect. The people of the South 
were full of joy. Some of them thought that this one vic- 
tory would end the war ; but it only made the JTorth more 
determined. Congress called for half a million of men and 
voted to borrow five hundred million dollars. On every side 
volunteers fiocked to the camps. Large armies were soon 
in the field on both sides. 

The War that followed. — And now we have to tell the 
story of a time that was full of important events. Many 
great battles were fought and hundreds of small ones. It 
would need a large book to describe them, and then we 
would only be telling how thousands of men were killed 
and wounded, how millions of dollars’ worth of property 
was destroyed, and how for years terror and ruin hung over 
the whole country. It would be of no advantage to tell 
all this, and we shall simply give an outline of what took 
place. 

There was much hard fighting in 1862. Large armies 
had been raised and drilled, vast quantities of arms and 
other materials had been gathered, and everything made 
ready for a great war. This was the Avork of 1861. When 
1862 opened the armies Avere ready for a terrible confiict. 


FROM SECESSION TO EMANCIPATION. 


201 



GRANT. 


The Contest in the West. — The lighting took place in 
three regions, — in the West, in Virginia, and on the ocean. 
In the West the United States wanted 
to get control of the rivers that ran 
south. The Confederate States tried to 
prevent this, and built two strong forts 
on the Tennessee and Cumberland 
Eivers, in Kentucky, and also powerful 
works on the Mississippi. The Unionists 
had covered some steamboats with iron 
plates and sent them down these rivers 
as gun-boats. An army marched over- 
land at the same time. This was com- 
manded by General Ulysses S. Grant, who was afterwards to 
become so famous. 

Battle of Pittsburg* Landing. — The two forts were soon 
taken, with many prisoners, and the Confederate army had 
to retreat to Tennessee. General Grant followed, and made 
his camp at Shiloh, or Pittsburg Landing, on the Tennessee 
River. Here there took place one of the most desperate 
battles of the war. Grant’s army was attacked by a strong 
army under General Albert Sydney Johnston. The lighting 
continued with great fury for two days. On the lirst day 
the Union army was driven back in much confusion and with 
great loss of life, but a fresh force came up, and the next day 
it drove back the Confederates and held the field. Both 
sides had fought hard and lost many men, but the battle 
ended in favor of the Northern army. 

Murfreesborough. — Much other fighting took place in the 
West during the year, and a great battle was fought at Mur* 
freesborough, in Tennessee, on the last day of 1862. The 
two armies fought all day, and three days later there was 
another battle. Then Bragg , the Confederate general, with- 


202 


THE ERA OF THE CIVIL WAR 


drew his army and fell back to Chattanooga. The end of 
the 3 ' ear’s fighting left the Union army in possession of all 
Kentucky and Tennessee. 

On the Mississippi. — While this was going on there was a 
severe struggle along the Mississippi River. The Union 
gun-boats and armies had gone down this river and captured 












THE FLEET RUNNING THE BATTERIES AT VICKSBURG. 


all the forts of the Confederates, till they came to the city of 
Vicksburg, where very strong forts had been built. 

At the same time a fleet, commanded by Admiral Farra- 
gut, had sailed to the mouth of the Mississippi. There were 
several forts along this part of the river, but the fleet fought 
its way past them and kept on until it reached the city of 
New Orleans, which was forced to surrender. This took 
place on April 25, 1862. 


FROM SECESSION TO EMANCIPATION. 


203 


Vicksburg-. — Then the fleet went on up the river and cap- 
tured other places. It ran past the batteries at Vicksburg 
and joined the fleet above. Thus nearly the whole of the 
great river of the West was held by the North. But the 
Confederates had two strong places, Vicksburg and Port 
Hudson, and held control of the river between them, so that 
they could get supplies from Texas and the other States 
west of the Mississippi. It was the purpose of the Union 
leaders to capture these places and get control of the whole 
river, and thus cut the Confederacy in two. 

The War in Virg-inia. — It will be seen that in the West 
the Union army had gained great successes. They held 
Kentucky and Tennessee and part of Mississippi, and had 
won nearly the whole of the Mississippi River. In Virginia, 
on the contrary, the Confederates had been successful, and 
had gained several important victories. 

As soon as Virginia seceded the city of Richmond was 
made the capital of the Confederacy, and Jefterson Davis, 
the President, with the rest of the Confederate government, 
went there. So a great part of the 
war took place between the two capi- 
tal cities, Washington and Richmond. 

Efforts were made to capture both these 
cities, but neither of them was taken 
till near the end of the war. 

Siege of Richmond. — Early in 1862, 

General McClellan, who commanded 
the Union army, moved south to York- 
town, the place where the army of 
Cornwallis had been captured eighty 
years before. After some fighting he marched close to 
Richmond and built lines of earthworks near that city. A 
battle was fought at a place called Fair Oaks, where Gen- 



LEE. 


204 


THE ERA OF THE CIVIL WAR, 


eral Joseph^ Johnston, who commanded the Confederate 
army, was badly wounded. General Robert E. Lee took 
Johnston’s place as Confederate commander. This was an 
excellent choice for the Confederates, for General Lee proved 
himself to be one of the greatest soldiers of modern times. 

Stonewall Jackson. — While these events were taking 
place, General Jackson, one of the boldest of the Confeder- 
ate commanders, was winning victories in the Shenandoah 
Valley, which lies to the north-west of Richmond. He was 
usually called Stonewall” Jackson, because he was said 
to have held his troops like a stone wall” in the battle of 
Bull Run. 

The Seven Days’ Fight. — General Lee now decided to 
make an attack on McClellan. He sent for Stonewall Jack- 
son to help him, and on June 26 made an assault on the 
Union lines. A dreadful series of battles followed. Each 
army had nearly one hundred thousand men, but the Union 
army suffered a severe defeat, and McClellan began to re- 
treat towards the James River. Lee’s army followed, and 
the fighting was kept up for seven days, there being a des- 
perate battle every day. In some of these one side, in some 
the other, was successful, but the retreat continued till the 
James River was reached. Here McClellan built strong 
lines of earthworks and was safe from further attack. Thou^ 
sands had been killed and wounded on each side, and the 
siege of Richmond had to be given up. 

Second Battle of Bull Run. — There was another Union 
army now collected in Virginia, under General Pope. In 
August, General Lee marched suddenly to the north and 
made an attack on this army. The battle took place near 
the old battle-ground of Bull Run. It was one of terrible 
slaughter, and in the end the Union army was defeated and 
forced back towards Washington. 


FROM SECESSION TO EMANCIPATION. 


205 


Antietam. — Then General Lee led his army across the 
Potomac into Maryland, where he hoped that many vol- 
unteers would join him. General McClellan, who had 
brought his army hack from Richmond, followed in great 
haste. The two armies met on September 17, at Antietam 
Creek, in the west of Maryland. The battle that followed 
was one of the most desperate of the war. • It ended in 
favor of the Union army. Lee crossed the Potomac again 
and marched back into Virginia. 

Fredericksburg-. — There was one more terrible battle in 
Virginia during the year. This was at the town of Fred- 
ericksburg. General Lee had his army on the hills back of 
the town. General Burnside, who now commanded the 
Union army, crossed the river and attacked him. The 
slaughter that followed was dreadful. The Union army 
was completely defeated, and had about twelve thousand 
men killed and wounded. This ended the fighting in Vir- 
ginia for that year. 

The Blockade Runners. — While these things were taking 
place there were some important operations of the fleet, of 
which we must now speak. Both sides had been busy build- 
ing vessels of war, and a Union fleet was sent down the 
coast, which took possession of large districts in North and 
South Carolina, and others in Georgia and Florida. These 
were held till the end of the war; but the seanorts of 
Charleston, Savannah, and Wilmington were kept by the 
Confederates. They were blockaded by the Union fleet, 
but in spite of the fleet a great many vessels got into them. 
These were called “ blockade runners.’’ They took out 
cotton, rice, tobacco, and other articles, and brought back 
tilings needed in the South, much of the cargo being war 
material. 

The Work of the Merrimac. — Some of the Confederates 


206 


THE ERA OF THE CIVIL WAR. 


spent their time in covering vessels with iron plates, so that 
cannon-balls could not pass through their hulls. One of 
these was a United States war vessel, the Merrimac, which 
had been sunk in the harbor of JS'orfolk. This was raised 
and covered with plates of iron. Then it steamed out and 
attacked the wooden war-vessels of the fleet. These fired 
on it, but the heavy cannon-balls glanced off from the iron 
hull as if they had been hail-stones. One of the wooden 
vessels was sunk, and great fear was felt as to what this 
iron monster would do. It looked as if it might destroy 
the Union fleet and attack the cities of the North. 

The Monitor and the Merrimac. — But the Union side had 
been building iron vessels too. One of these was of very 
strange shape. It had a flat deck that came just above the 
water ; on this was a round tower of iron in which were 
two very heavy cannon. People called it a cheese-box on 
a raft,^’ and that was what it looked like. It was sent down 
to Hampton Roads, and reached there the day after the 
fight we have just told of. 

The Merrimac was coming out to attack the other ves- 
sels, when this strange-looking craft, tvhich was called the 
Monitor, came gliding in. A tremendous battle followed. 
The two iron ships battered each other with cannon-balls for 
four hours. Neither hurt the other much, but the Merrimac 
got the worst of it. In the end she turned and hurried back 
to Norfolk. Soon afterwards the Union forces captured 
Norfolk, and the Merrimac was destroyed to prevent her 
falling into their possession. 

This was the first fight that ever took place between two 
iron-clad ships. When the news got to Europe every one 
saw that the days of wooden war ships were over. Since 
that time many iron-clad ships have been built, and the war- 
ships of the world are now covered with thick plates of steel. 


FINAL YEARS OF THE WAR. 


207 


The Emancipation of the Slaves. — The year 1862 ended 
with a very important event. For a long time during the 
war slavery was not interfered with, and the President said 
that the object of the war was merely to bring back the 
seceded States into the Union. But in time he saw that the 
South was getting great help from the slaves^ who were 
kept at work on the plantations and helped to build forts 
and do other such work. It would weaken the Confederates 
very much if the slaves were taken from them. 

The President therefore announced that the slaves would 
be liberated on the 1st of January, 1863. On that day there 
was sent out what is known as the Proclamation of Eman- 
cipation.’’ It declared that all slaves within the Confederacy 
were free and would be free forever after. 

This proclamation had a great effect. From this time on 
the war was fought not only to bring back the seceded 
States, but to liberate the slaves. Many negro regiments 
were formed, and everything was done that could make the 
negroes useful to the North and deprive the South of their 
help. The Confederacy was very much weakened by this 
proclamation. As fast as the armies went south the slaves 
were set free, till in the end they all gained their freedom. 
Since the war there has not been a slave in the United States. 

III.— THE FINAL YEAES OF THE WAE. 

Battle of Chancellorsville. — During the year 1863 the 
war went on with great activity. In the East there was not 
as much fighting as there had been the year before, but two 
great battles took place. One of these was at a place called 
Chancellorsville, in a very rough and wild country known as 
the Wilderness. General Hooker now had command of the 
Union army. He did not think it safe to attack General 
Lee at Fredericksburg, as General Burnside had done ; so 


208 


THE ERA OF THE CIVIL WAR. 



STONEWALL JACK&ON. 


river as;ain. 


lie led his army across the Rappahannock and Eapidan 
Rivers at a point above that cit}\ 

General Lee hastened in the same direction, and the two 
armies met in the wild country of the Wilderness. A fierce 

battle took place in a woods so thick 
that the armies could hardly see each 
other. General Stonewall Jackson 
led a strono; force to the left throurfi 

O C/ 

the w^oods, and made a sudden at- 
tack on the rirfit wing; of the Union 
army. It was a complete surprise 
and this part of the army was driven, 
back. The battle continued all the 
next day, and in the end Hooker 
was forced to retreat and to cross the 
But Stonewall Jackson was wounded and died, 
which was a o;reat loss to the Confederate side. 

Lee marches North. — The battle of Chancellorsville took 
place on the 2d and 3d of May, 1863. In the latter part of 
June, General Lee left Fredericksburg and marched at great 
speed to the north. It was thought he wished to take the 
city of Washington, and the Union army hastened to pro- 
tect it. But Lee kept on north till he reached Maryland, 
and then went on into Pennsylvania. 

What he intended to do no one knew. Many feared he 
was going to march on Philadelphia and take possession of 
that rich city. The Union army followed him as fast as it 
could. The two armies came together near the small town 
of Gettysburg, in Southern Pennsylvania. General Meade 
was now in command. He had brought the army north as 
fast as the soldiers could march. 

The Battle of Gettysburg*. — The advance ranks of the 
two armies came together on the 1st of July, and a severe 


FINAL YEARS OF THE WAR 


209 

fight took place. The Confederates were the stronger, and 
the Union line fell back to the top of a long line of low 
hills called Cemetery Ridge, which was fortified, while the 
remainder of the army was hurried up. Here there was 
fought the greatest battle of the war. On July 2, General 
Lee made a desperate attack on the Union lines. Terrible 



BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG. 


fighting took place, and many thousands were killed and 
wounded, but at the end of the day the Union army still 
held Cemetery Ridge. 

The next day General Lee sent a large force against one 
point of the Union lines. If he had broken through at 
that point he would probabty have gained the victory, but 
the charging force met with dreadful slaughter and was 
completely defeated. Most of those who were not killed 

were taken prisoners. Very few got back. That ended 

14 



210 


THE ERA OF THE CIVIL WAR. 


the battle. General Lee led his men back to Virginia. He 
had suffered a great defeat. Many look on the battle of 
Gettysburg as the turning-point of the war. 

The Siege of Vicksburg. — AVhile this was taking place 
in the East the Union army was gaining a great success in 
the AVest. General Grant had made up his mind to take 
A'icksburg and open the Alississippi River. General Sher- 
man had attacked this town the year before, but had lost 
many men and been driven back. In the spring Grant 
moved his army to a position south of the town, and marched 
up and began to besiege it. 

There were two Confederate armies, one in the town and 
one outside of it. The one outside was defeated and forced 
to retreat, and the one inside was closed in by long lines of 
earthworks that reached the river both below and above 
the town. A terrible fire was kept up by the forts upon the 
city, and the gun-boats on the river threw in bomb-shells 
and cannon-balls from the other side. 

There was dreadful distress within the city. Ho one could 
get out of it, and hundreds were being killed within it. To 
make it worse, the food gave out. Alules and horses were 
killed and eaten. Soon there was a famine in Vicksburg. 
There was much sickness also, and the storm of cannon- 
balls never ceased. 

This could not continue. On the 4th of July, the same 
day that Lee retreated from Gettysburg, Vicksburg sur- 
rendered. Twenty-seven thousand prisoners fell into Gen- 
^eral Grant’s hands. This was a most important 4th of July 
for the people of the United States, for Avith it ended nearly 
all chance of success for the South. They fought on, but it 
was a losing game from that time. 

Chattanooga. — Port Hudson surrendered three days after- 
wards, and the AAdiole length of the Mississippi Avas open to 


FINAL YEARS OF THE WAR. 


211 


the Union gun-boats. The rest of the fighting in the West 
for that year took place near the town of Chattanooga, in 
Tennessee. A severe battle was fought in September, in 
which the Union army was defeated. It retreated to Chat- 
tanooga, while the Confederate army took possession of the 
mountains around the city, and shut the Union army in so 
closely that it became very short of food. 

General Grant was now made commander of all the 
W estern armies. He came to Chattanooga and took charge 
there. General Bragg, the Confederate commander, held 
strong positions on Lookout Mountain and Missionary 
Ridge, each of which was nearly half a mile high and de- 
fended by strong forts. Yet the Union army charged up 
the hills through all the fire of these forts. It was a des- 
perate attempt, but the forts were taken and Bragg’s army 
was driven out with great loss. This has always been con- 
sidered one of the most brilliant victories of the war. 

Grant Commander-in-Chief. — In 1864, General Grant was 
made commander-in-chief of all the military forces of the 
United States. He at once laid plans to have the armies 
of the country work together and bring the war to an end as 
quickly as possible. General Sherman was left in command 
of the Western army, while Grant came to Virginia and 
took control of General Meade’s soldiers. 

Grant’s Advance. — The grand advance of all the forces 
began early in May. In Virginia, Grant led his army across 
the Rapidan River into the thicket of the Wilderness. 
Here the battle between Hooker and Lee had taken place 
just a year before. Another desperate battle was now 
fought, in which neither army was victorious. Then General 
Grant marched towards Richmond and Lee followed him. 
Several severe battles took place, the last of them at Cold 
Harbor, near Richmond. This was a terrible encounter. 


212 


THE ERA OF THE CIVIL WAR. 


Lee’s army was behind strong earthworks, which the Union 
soldiers could not enter, on account of the terrible fire of 
the Confederates. Grant lost ten thousand men killed and 
wounded, and Lee not more than a thousand. Then Grant 
moved south again, crossed the James River, and began a 
siege of Richmond and Petersburg. This siege lasted nine 
months. 

Sheridan’s Ride. — In July, Lee sent General Early up the 
Shenandoah Valley to Maryland. Early marched along the 
Potomac, and for a time Washington was in danger. But 
General Sheridan was sent against him, and defeated him 
in several battles. In one of these the striking event known 
as Sheridan’s Ride” took place. Early made a night 
attack on Sheridan’s army at Cedar Creek, and drove it 
back in great confusion. Sheridan was then at Winchester, 
twenty miles away. But he heard the distant roar of the 
battle, sprang to his horse, and rode at furious speed to the 
scene of confiict. Here he put himself at the head of his 
men, led them forward, and drove back the victorious Con- 
federates in a complete rout. Defeat was turned into victory 
almost in a moment, and Sheridan at once became a famous 
general. 

Sherman’s March to the Sea. — In the West, General Sher- 
man did some remarkable work. He marched against the 
Confederate army, and battle after battle took place. At 
the end of every battle Sherman moved farther into Georgia, 
until he had taken the important city of Atlanta, which was 
a 2:reat railroad centre. 

General Hood, who now commanded the Confederate 
army, marched north, thinking that Sherman would follow 
him. But instead of that Sherman sent some help to Gen- 
eral Thomas, who had command in Tennessee, and then 
started on a march through Georgia, destroying the railroads 


SHERIDAN’S RIDE. 




FINAL YEARS OF THE WAR. 


213 


as he went. This was Sherman’s famous March to the 
Sea.” He kept on until he reached the coast at Savannah, 
and took that city. 

Hood’s Defeat at Nashville. — Meanwhile General Hood 
had marched into Tennessee and brought his army in front 
of Nashville, where General Thomas was in command. For 
two weeks he besieged that town, and then Thomas made 
a sudden assault on him. In the battle that followed Hood’s 
army was terribly defeated, and so broken to pieces that it 
never came together again. This victory ended the war in 
all that portion of the South. 

Naval Victories. — During the year 1864 there were some 
important naval victories. There were several Confederate 
cruisers, built in England, which had done much harm to 
American shipping. One of these, the Alabama, had taken 
sixty-five vessels. On June 19 the Alabama was met by the 
frigate Kearsarge, near the coast of France. A battle was 
fought, and at the end of two hours the Alabama was sunk. 

Another battle took place in Mobile Bay. It was defended 
by strong forts and an iron-plated vessel, but Admiral 
Farragut sailed in with a fleet of wooden ships and several 
vessels like the Monitor. He sailed past the forts stand- 
ing in the rigging of his ship, spy-glass in hand, with- 
out seeming to care for the terrible danger which he ran. 
This bold action gave great fame to the brave admiral. 

Sherman’s March North. — With the opening of the year 
1865 it was clear to everybody that the end of the war was 
near at hand. The South was in a desperate situation. 
General Sherman had left Savannah and . was marching 
north. He marched, into South Carolina and took posses- 
sion of Charleston, and then kept on until he reached North 
Carolina. 

Lee’s Retreat. — At the same time General Grant was 


214 


THE ERA OF THE CIVIL WAR. 


pressing on Lee. Immense lines of earthworks had been 
built around Petersburg, but Grant’s army kept moving 
southward until, on the 1st of April, it made an attack on 
the lower end of Lee’s works, and won a victory at a place 
called Five Forks. General Lee then saw that he could hold 
on to Richmond no longer, and began a hasty march west- 
ward towards the mountains. 

The End of the War. — Grant followed him with the 
utmost speed, and soon Lee found himself surrounded by a 
far stronger army than his own. He could fight no longer, 
and on the 9th of April he surrendered to General Grant 
at Appomattox Court-House, Virginia. 

This surrender brought the war to an end. As soon as 
news of it spread through the South all the forces in the 
field laid down their arms, and the long and terrible civil 
war was over. 

Assassination of Lincoln. — Yet one dreadful event 
followed. On April 14, five days after General Lee’s sur- 
render, President Lincoln was murdered. He was shot by 
an actor, named John Wilkes Booth, in a theatre at Wash- 
ington. This terrible deed filled the whole country with 
horror, and threw a deep shadow on the joy that had been 
. felt at the close of the war. No more shocking event had 
ever taken place in America. 


PART VII.-QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 

I. What great question disturbed the nation before 1860? Where were 
slaves kept in the, early days of the country? Why were they kept in the 
South after they were set free in the IN’orth ? What did many people in the 
North think about slavery? What law about slaves was passed in 1850? 
Did it settle the trouble ? Who became President in 1849 ? What happened 
to him ? Who became President in his place ? Who was elected President 
in 1852? What new Territories were formed? What dispute arose about 


QUESTIONS FOB EXAMINATFON 


215 


them? What law vas passed? Was this in agreement with the Missouri 
Compromise ? What happened in Kansas ? What new party succeeded the 
Whig party? What two parties were there after 1856? What was the 
feeling about slavery at that time? What can you tell about John Brown? 
What did he do in 1859? What was the end of his raid ? Who was elected 
President in 1860? When did he take his seat as President? What took 
place between his election and the time he took his seat ? 

II. What had been threatened in South Carolina if Lincoln should he 
elected? What is meant by seceding ? Explain the State Eights doctrine. 
What was done in South Carolina ? What other States followed this ex- 
ample ? What did these States call themselves ? Whom did they elect as 
President and Vice-President? What fort was held by the United States in 
Charleston harbor? Who commanded there? What did the people of 
Charleston do ? What was the result ? What effect did this have on the 
country? What other States seceded ? How many did that make in all? 
Where did the armies gather ? Where and when was the first battle fought? 
What was the result ? What did Congress do then ? What was the princi- 
pal work done in 1861 ? In what three regions did fighting take place in 
1862? Where had the Confederates built forts in the West? By whom 
were they captured ? Where did a great battle take place in Tennessee ? 
Who commanded the two armies ? Describe the battle. Where did a battle 
take place on the last day of 1862? What was the result? What strong 
place did the Confederates hold on the Mississippi ? What was done by 
Admiral Farragut’s fieet? What did the Union army wish to do on the 
Mississippi? What successes had the Union army gained in the West? 
Which side was successful in Virginia ? What city had been made the 
capital of the Confederate States ? Who was placed in command of the 
Union army? To what region did he lead it? What noted general was 
placed in command of the Confederate army ? Why was the Confederate 
general Jackson called ‘‘ Stonewall” Jackson ? Where did he win victories ? 
What did General Lee decide to do? Describe the seven days’ fight. What 
did General Lee do next ? Where did a battle take place between Lee and 
Pope ? What was the result ? Where did Lee then lead his army ? Who 
followed him ? Where did the two armies meet ? What was the result of 
the battle of iViitietam? Who was next made commander of the Union 
army ? Where did a battle take place ? What was the result of this battle ? 
What was being done on the coast? What ports did the Union fieet block- 
ade? What did the blockade runners do? What kind of vessels did the 
Confederates prepare ? How was the Merrimac strengthened ? What did it 
do to the wooden fleet in Norfolk harbor ? What kind of vessels had the 
Union side been building? What was one of these iron vessels called? 


216 


THE ERA OF THE CIVIL WAR. 


Why? What was it named? When did it reach Norfolk harbor? De- 
scribe the fis:ht with the Merrimac. What did this battle of iron-clad ships 
prove? With what important event did 1862 end? What was the first 
object of the war? Why did the President wish to free the slaves? On 
what day were they declared free? What was the proclamation called? 
How did it hurt the South and help the North ? What is said of slavery at 
the end of the war ? 

III. What great battle was fought in Virginia in 1863 ? Who commanded 
the Union army? In what way did Stonewall Jackson surprise Hooker's 
army? What happened to Jackson? What was the result of the battle? 
What did General Lee do in June? What was thought of his intentions? 
What did the Union army do ? Who now commanded it ? Where did the 
armies meet ? On what three days was the battle of Gettysburg fought ? 
Describe the battle of the first day, of the second day, of the third day. 
What was the result of the battle? What is thought of it? What was 
General Grant doing in the West? Why did he wish to take Vicksburg? 
How did he enclose the Confederate army in Vicksburg ? What happened 
in that city ? On what day did Vicksburg surrender? How many prisoners 
were taken ? What was the effect of the victories at Gettysburg and Vicks- 
burg on the Southern cause ? Where did the rest of the fighting in the West 
take place in 1863? What happened to the Union army in September i 
How was it situated in Chattanooga ? Who was made commander of all 
the Western armies? What great battles were fought at Chattanooga? 
What was the result? What position was given to General Grant in 1864 ? 
What plans did he lay ? Who was left in command of the Western army ? 
When did the general advance of the armies begin ? Where did Grant lead 
the Army of Virginia? What battles took place ? What was the result of 
the battle at Cold Harbor ? What did Grant do then ? How long did the 
siege of Petersburg last? What events took place in the Shenandoah Val- 
ley? Describe “Sheridan’s Eide.” What did General Sherman do in the 
West? Where did he march after taking Atlanta? What is this march 
called? What did General Hood do? Who was the Union commander 
at Nashville? What happened to Hood’s army? What important naval 
battle took place in 1864 ? What harm had the Alabama done ? Describe 
the naval battle in Mobile Bay. What did Sherman do in 1865? On what 
day did General Grant break through General Lee’s lines ? What did Lee 
do then ? Where and when did Lee’s surrender take place ? What effect 
did this have ? What dreadful event happened soon after ? How did it 
affect the people ? 


EVENTS AFTER THE WAR, 


217 


PART VIII. 

THE ERA OP PEACE AND PROGRESS. 

L— EVENTS AFTER THE WAR. 

The Evil of the War. — The great war was at an end. 
What had been its cost to the country and what good and 
evil had come of it? In the first place a vast multitude of 
men had been taken from their homes to live the life of 
soldiers and endure the dangers of warfare. On the Union 
side more than two and a half millions of men had been in 
the army. At the end of the w^ar there were still more than 
a million in the ranks. We do not know how many there 
were on the Confederate side. There were not nearly as 
many as on the Union side, probably not more than half the 
number. In the Union armies more than three hundred 
thousand men were killed, or died of wounds and disease, 
and the losses of the Confederate armies are supposed to 
have been as great. 

This was a frightful slaughter, and to it must be added all 
those who died after the war from wounds, or other effects 
of the dangerous life of a soldier. The money cost of the 
war was also very great. At the end of the war the United 
States had a debt of $2,750,000,000. The States and the 
cities also had heayj" debts. We do not know how much 
the Confederates States had spent, but they must have used a 
very great amount of money and materials. And this money 
loss was only part of the loss. There was not much damage 


218 


THE ERA OF PEACE AND PROGRESS. 


done in the North, for nearly all the fighting had been in 
the Southern States. But in the South there was ruin 
everywhere. Railroads had been destroyed, towns burned, 
and much other damage done. It would take years to make 
up the losses of the war. Everybody in the South was poor, 
and they had lost all their slaves, who were valued at a 
great sum of money. But in the North scarcely any harm 
had been done to city or country, business of every kind had 
been good, and many had grown rich during the war. The 
South was in a dreadful condition, but the North showed 
hardly any signs of injury from the great confiict. 

The Good of the War. — Great courage and skill had been 
shown on both sides. It was made clear that the Ameri- 
cans north and south are a brave people; they had more 
respect for each other than ever before. So much good 
was accomplished. The war, as we have said, was not fought 
to abolish slavery, but to preserve the Union. Its purpose 
was to keep the nation together, and in this it had suc- 
ceeded. It will be long again before any State tries to 
secede. 

Slavery was abolished, but this had been done as an 
act of war, to help the North to conquer in the great con- 
test. Yet it was an act that could not be undone. The 
slaves had been set free, and free they must continue while 
America remains a nation. The South would not have them 
as slaves again if it could. The people there have found 
that they are better off without slavery. Thus the great 
question which so long divided the nation is set at rest for- 
ever. This was the greatest good that came of the war. 
The civilization of America is to-day a much higher one 
than it was before the Civil War. 

Reconstruction. — Let us go on to see what followed the 
war. W e have told how President Lincoln was assassinated. 


EVENTS AFTER THE WAR. 


219 


Nothing ever took place in this country that caused more 
grief and horror. The people of the North had come to 
look on Abraham Lincoln as a man as great and noble as 
George Washington, and it was a terrible shock to them 
that he should be killed at the end of his great work. Few 
things ever happened in the country that caused so much 
excitement and angry feeling, and the murder of Lincoln 
made the difficult questions that followed the war much 
harder to settle. 

He had just been elected to a second term as President, 
and the Vice-President, Andrew Johnson, now took his 
place. The government had serious work before it. The 
war was over, but it had left everything in disorder. Eleven 
States had declared themselves out of the Union. They 
were to be brought back again. How was this to be done ? 

The slaves were now free in all the States. An amend- 
ment to the Constitution had been adopted on April 8, 1864, 
setting free all slaves within the United States. This is 
known as the Thirteenth Amendment. The seceded States 
had to agree to it before they could come back. Another 
amendment, the Fourteenth, was offered, and was adopted 
in July, 1868. This gave negroes all the rights of white 
people, except the right to vote. The seceded States had to 
agree to this also. 

The President impeached. — President Johnson objected 
to these amendments, and to the other laws passed by Con- 
gress on the same subject. He vetoed them all. This made 
much bitter feeling between him and Congress, and in the 
end he was impeached; that is, he was accused of not 
doing the duty he had sworn to do, and was tried before the 
Senate, which acted as a court. The trial caused great ex- 
citement in the country. The Senate he^sird all that was to 
be said on both sides, and decided that the President had 


220 


THE ERA OF PEACE AND PROGRESS. 


not acted contrary to his oath of office, and therefore was 
not guilty of the charges against him. This was the only 
time an American President has been tried for failure to do 
his duty. 

The Suffrage Amendment. — In 1870 another amendment 
to the Constitution was adopted. It is known as the Fif- 
teenth Amendment. It gave to negroes, both those who 
had lately been slaves and those who had always been free, 
the right to vote. Under this law every American of the 



A STAGE-RANCH ON THE WYOMING PLAINS. 


proper age, except women and Indians, can vote. One by 
one the seceded States agreed to these amendments, and 
were taken back into the Union. Virginia, Mississippi, and 
Texas were the last. These came back in 1870. 

Indian Wars. — During this time there Avas much trouble 
with the Western Indians, and travel across the plains be- 
came very dangerous. The Indians east of the Mississippi 
had been quieted long before, but settlers were pushing 





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* I 


EVENTS AFTER THE WAR. 


221 


everywhere into the Western country, and many of them 
treated the Indians very unjustly, who in return killed the 
settlers and burned their houses. This brought on several 
Indian wars, and it took a great deal of fighting to put down 
the tribes. Many persons were killed on both sides, but in 
the end most of the Indians were placed on reservations, or 
lands set aside for them. Here they are taken care of by 
the government. Many of these reservations are in the 
Indian Territory, but there are others in all the States and 
Territories west of the Mississippi River, and some in the 
States east of that river. 

Alaska. — In 1867 another addition was made to the terri- 
tory of the United States. The region known as Alaska was 
bought from Russia. It is a large country, but most of it 
is of little use, on account of the coldness of the climate. 
Yet many furs come from there, and on some islands near 
the coast the valuable fur seals are found in great numbers. 
The fisheries are also of great value. Rich deposits of gold 
have been found there, and mines opened, and in many re- 
spects Alaska is an important addition to the country. 

The Chicago Fire. — In 1868, General Grant was elected to 
the Presidency, and took his seat on the 4th of March, 1869. 
He remained President for eight years. In these eight 
years some important events happened. One of these was 
the Chicago fire, the greatest conflagration that has ever 
been known in America. It is doubtful if any fire in any 
other city of the world ever destroyed so much property. 
It began on October 8, 1871, and burned for three days. 
The part of the city burned was four and a half miles long 
and a mile wide. One hundred thousand people were left 
without homes, and two hundred were killed. The money 
loss was about two hundred million dollars. In the same 
year great forest fires broke out in the neighboring States. 


222 


THE ERA OF PEACE AND PROGRESS. 


In Wisconsin manj- villages were burned and fifteen hun- 
dred people perished. 

In November of the next year a terrible fire broke out in 

4 / 

Boston, which destroyed property yalued at seyenty-fiye 
million dollars. Yet so great was the activity of the people 
that in a few years both those cities were built up again, 
and very little trace of the fires remained. 

The Alabama Claims. — Another great event which hap- 
pened while Grant was President was the settlement of the 

Alabama claims.” We must explain what this means. In 
the last chapter we told how the Confederate privateer, the 
Alabama, had sailed from England, and captured and burned 
many American merchant vessels on the ocean. For this the 
United States blamed England. The Alabama was built in 
England, and it was said that the British government had no 
right to let it set sail, and that England ought to pay for all 
the damage that this vessel had done. 

The dispute might have brought on a war between 
America and England, but both nations agreed to let it be 
settled by a commission of men chosen by the two countries. 
This was done, and the commission found that England was 
in the wrong, and must pay damages to the United States. 
The amount was sixteen million two hundred and fifty thou- 
sand dollars. This was the first great question between 
nations that was settled in this way. Such questions are 
generally decided by war, but it would be far better and 
cheaper to decide them all in a peace! ul manner. 

The Business Panic. — In 1873 a great business panic 
began. It was brought on in the same way as that of 1837 
had been. There was wild speculation everywhere, many 
families lived in great luxury, many more railroads were 
built than the country needed, and every man in business 
fancied that he was growing ?dch. Suddenly some great 


EVENTS AFTER THE WAR. 


223 


business houses proved unable to pay their debts, and this 
quickly brought others into the same trouble. The difficulty 
rapidly spread over the whole country. Banks failed, fac- 
tories stopped running, the building of railroads came to an 
end, money was not to be had, and thousands of people who 
had believed themselves in the way to grow rich found 
themselves poor. For the working people there was very 



MEMORIAL HALL. 


little to do. It was the worst business trouble the country 
had ever seen, for there were many more to feel it than in 
the past. Five or six years elapsed before all the effects of 
the panic passed away and business became as good as it 
had been before 1873. 

The Centennial Exhibition. — There was one more in- 

t 

teresting event while Grant was President. In 1876 it 

O 

would be just one hundred years from the date in which 


224 


THE ERA OF PEACE AND PROGRESS. 


America had declared herself free, and the people deter- 
mined to celebrate this event in a grand way. * So it was 
decided to hold a great exhibition in Philadelphia, where 
the Declaration of Independence had been signed. Large 
buildings were prepared for a world’s fair, and goods were 
sent from every part of the country and from every foreign 
nation. Millions of people visited it, some of them coming 
from distant parts of the earth. Nothing of the kind had 
ever been seen in America, and it was a great lesson to the 
people of this country. They learned there in what things 
America was superior- to Europe, and in what Europe was 
superior to America. Every one saw that in machinery no 
other country could surpass the United States, but that in 
art Europe was far in advance. But this is not so much 
the case to-day. Great progress has been made in American 
art since that time ; her people have been wise enough to 
profit by the lesson of the Centennial Exhibition. 

The Election of 1876. — In November, 1876, there was an 
election for President that caused much feeling. The Re- 
publican candidate was Rutherford B. Hayes, the Dem- 
ocratic, Samuel J. Tilden. The election was so close that 
there was a dispute as to who had been elected. Congress 
was not able to settle this, so a commission of fifteen men 
was chosen from the members of Congress and the judges 
of the Supreme Court. This commission decided that 
Hayes was elected President, so he took his seat on the 4th 
of March, 187-7. 

Several things of importance took place during his term 
of office. While the war was going on gold had become 
of more value than paper money. From the beginning of 
1862 it had not been used as money, and all the business of 
the country was done with bank-notes. This continued until 
1879. On the 1st of January of that year the government 


EVENTS AFTER THE WAR. 


225 


began to pay out gold to its creditors, and since then paper 
money has been worth as much as gold. 

In 1878 yellow fever broke out in many of the cities of 
the South, and raged so fiercely that thousands of the peo- 
ple died. Business could not be carried on, so there was 
much suffering from this cause also. The fever appeared 
again the next j^ear. The people of the North did much to 
help the sufferers in the South during this terrible period. 
Money, food, and other necessaries were given in large 
amounts, doctors and nurses went South at the peril of their 
lives, and the warm feeling of sympathy that was shown did 
much to hasten the growing good feeling between the two 
sections of the country. 

Garfield’s Election. — When the time came for the next 
Presidential election (1880) the Republicans nominated Gen- 
eral James A. Garfield, the Democrats, General W. S. Han- 
cock. Garfield was elected. The new President soon 
showed that he was going to do what he thought was for 
the good of the country. When men asked for oflices he 
did not trouble himself to know what they had done for the 
party, but was careful to find out if they knew anything 
about the work of the office, and could be trusted to do 
their duty. 

The Assassination of Garfield. — This gave great offence 
to some persons who wanted offices, but were not fit to do 
the work required. One of these men, named Charles J. 
Guiteau, became so angry that he resolved to kill the Presi- 
dent. On the 2d of July, 1881, four months after Garfield 
was inaugurated, this man came up behind him in the rail- 
road depot at Washington, drew a pistol, and shot him in 
the back. 

The President fell, severely wounded. The news spread 
rapidly over the country, and caused as much horror and 


226 


THE ERA OF PEACE AND PROGRESS, 


excitement as had been occasioned by the death of Lin* 
coin. Garfield did not die at once. He lay sick for more 
than three months. During this interval every one felt 
the greatest sympathy for him, and when he died, on the 
19th of September, it was as if every family in the land 
had lost one of its dearest members. The wounded Presi- 
dent had been so brave and patient in his suffering that the 
people of all parties had grown to love him. The whole 
people of the country seemed watching by his bedside, for 
the telegraph brought them news almost as quickly as if 
they had been there, and nothing has ever shown more 
clearly the wonderful character of the telegraphic service 
than the way in which the story of the dying President 
was laid every morning before the anxious and sympathetic 
nation. 

Election of Cleveland. — After the death of Garfield the 
Vice-President, Chester A. Arthur, became President, and 
filled the office till March 4, 1885. On that day Grover 
Cleveland took his seat as President. He was elected as the 
candidate of the Democratic party, and was the first Demo- 
cratic President since 1856. 

The Charleston Earthquake. — In 1886 there occurred an 
event that was in some respects more terrible than the 
Chicago fire. A great earthquake took place. The centre 
of its force was in South Carolina, and the city of Charles- 
ton was so shaken that a great part of it fell in ruins to the 
ground, ^^othing so dreadful of this kind had ever been 
known in the United States. A single minute turned a happy 
and prosperous city into a distressed and ruined one. The 
people ran in terror from their falling houses, but many were 
killed in the houses and in the streets. The earth cracked 
open here and there, and mud and stones were thrown into 
the air. The people of Charleston lost ten n illion dollars 


EVENTS AFTER THE WAR. 


227 


by this earthquake shock, besides all the suffering they 
endured. 

The Chicago Anarchists. — For a number of years there 
has been much trouble in this country between working 
people and their employers. The working people have 
joined into strong societies, and there have been many great 
strikes for wages. In Chicago, on May 1, 1886, there was 
a strike in favor of making eight hours the time of a day’s 
work. This led to an awful scene of murder. There was 
a large party of foreigners in Chicago who wanted to do 
away with all law and order, and declared that no man had 
a right to be richer than other men, but that all ought to be 
alike in this respect. 

During the eight-hour strike there was held a meeting of 
these anarchists, as they were called, which the police tried to 
break up, but while they were attempting to do so some one in 
the crowd threw among them a bomb charged with dynamite. 
Dynamite is an explosive substance which is much more 
violent in its action than gunpowder. The bomb burst in 
their midst and did terrible damage. Six of the policemen 
were killed and sixtj^-one wounded. The police drew their 
pistols and fired on the mob, and many of the anarchists, in 
their turn, were killed and wounded. Seven were arrested 
and found guilty of murder. Of these one killed himself, 
four were hung, and the others sent to prison for life. 

Election of Harrison. — In the Presidential election of 
1888, Benjamin Harrison, the Republican candidate, was 
chosen, and took his seat March 4, 1889. He is the grandson 
of General Harrison, who was elected President in 1840. 

The Johnstown Disaster. — On May 31, 1889, a terrible 
event took place. During a severe rain-storm a dam gave 
way on a branch of the Conemaugh River, in Western 
Pennsylvania. The whole valley of the river was swept 


228 


THE ERA OF PEACE AND PROGRESS. 


with a destructive flood, and the city of Johnstown and 
several smaller places were carried away on the ragin^^ 
waters. Five or six thousand people were drowned an^ 
many millions of dollars’ worth of property destroyed. No 
accident so dreadful in loss of life had ever happened in 
America before. Much food and clothing and great sums 
of money were given by charitable people -to aid the sufl 
ferers, but the terrible loss of life no money could repay^ 
and the Johnstown flood will long be remembered in the 
history of destructive events. 

The Pan-American Congress. — In the latter part of 1889 
and the early part of 1890 a very important meeting was 
held in the city of Washington. Delegates from all the 
nations of North and South America came together, to see 
wdiat could be done to aid commerce and harmony between 
these nations, and to do away with war. It was decided 
to try and settle all quarrels between them by peaceful 
means, to take measures for the improvement of trade, to 
build a railroad through all these nations, and to do other 
things for the benefit of the American peoples. A sur- 
vey for such a railroad, to run through North and South 
America, has been partly made, and it is probable that the 
road will in time be built. 

The McKinley Tariff. — In 1890 a tarift' bill was passed 
by Congress, which put a higher tax or duty on many 
articles brought from other countries. It is known as the 
McKinley tariff, because it was offered by Mr. McKinley, 
of Ohio. It was hoped that it would be a great help to 
manufactures in America, by keeping out foreign goods 
from this country, but there is a wide difference of opinion 
about this, for many say that the American people would 
be better off with a low tariff. This is to-day the great 
question in American politics. 


EVENTS AFTER THE WAR. 


229 


Reciprocity in Trade. — The McKinley Tariff had in it 
an important provision for free trade, which had been ad- 
vised by the Pan-American Congress. This was known 
by the long word reciprocity. It was decided that sugar, 
coffee, tea, and hides, which are the leading products of 
the Central and South American countries, should come 
into the United States without paying duty, if the nations 
sending them would take certain of our products free of 
duty. Most of the American nations did so, and free trade 
in their principal products existed for a time between nearly 
all the countries of America. 

The Silver Bill. — For many years the United States had 
been coining silver money very actively. In 1878 Con- 
gress passed what is known as the Bland Silver Bill, under 
which the mints had to make a great many silver dollars 
every year. In 1890 this bill was replaced by the Sher- 
man Silver Bill, which required the United States Treas- 
ury to buy four million five hundred thousand ounces of 
silver every month. In the spring and summer of 1893 
the country was in danger of a business panic like that of 
1873. Money became scarce, the banks refused to lend 
money to their customers, many banks, merchants, and 
manufacturers failed, and thousands of people had no work 
to do. Most of the people thought that this was caused by 
the great quantity of silver stored up in the mints, which 
no other country would accept as money, and President 
Cleveland called an extra session of Congress, to meet on 
August 7, 1893, for the purpose of trying to change the law 
which required silver to be bought. As a result the Sher- 
man Silver Bill was repealed, and since that time no silver 
has been bought by the government. But there was much 
silver then in the treasury, and this continued to be made 
into dollars and other silver coins. 


230 


THE ERA OF PEACE AND PROGRESS. 


New States. — In 1889 four new States were added to the 
Union. The large Territory of Dakota was divided into 
two States, named North Dakota and South Dakota, and 
the Territories of Washington and Montana were made 
States. In 1890 two other States were added, Idaho and 
Wyoming, Utah in 189G, and Oklahoma in 1907. These 
make tlie total number of States forty-six. The Territories 
are, Alaska, Arizona, New Mexico, and Hawaii. 

The election of members of Congress in 1890 gave the 
Democratic party a great victory, the House of Representa- 
tives gaining a Democratic majority of one hundred and 
fifty-three members. In the Senate the Republicans still 
kept a majority. 

Another important event of 1890 was the United States 
Census. The count of the population showed that there 
were in this country sixty-two millions six hundred and 
twenty-two thousand two hundred and fifty people, an in- 
crease of more than twelve millions since 1880, and of 
about fifty-nine millions since the first census in 1790, a 
century before. 

Copyright Bill. — In 1891 Congress passed an important 
bill, known as the Copyright Bill. Ever since the country 
was established the writers of books had had no protection 
in foreign lands. Any Englishman could publish and sell an 
American book, and any American could do the same 
with an English book, and pay the author nothing. The 
Copyright Bill put an end to this, and gave protection to 
authors. 

Among the changes made in this period was a great in- 
crease in the pension list, both in the number of persons 
receiving pensions, and the amount paid them. The an- 
nual sum paid for pensions for many years was about one 
hundred and forty million dollars, much the greatest sum 


EVENTS AFTER THE WAR. 


231 


ever paid for this purpose. Changes were also made in the 
immigration laws, so as to keep out of this country all 
persons not likely to make good and useful citizens. 

Alaskan Seal Fisheries. — For a number of years there had 
been a dispute between the United States and England, on 
account of Canadian fishing-vessels killing the fur seals 
which make their homes on the islands of Bering Sea, in 
Alaska, and w^hich the United States claim as their own 
property. After many vessels had been seized, and there 
had been much bitter feelkig, the question was given over 



FUR SEALS, ALASKA. 


to arbitrators to settle, both nations agreeing to accept the 
decision of the court of arbitration, whose members were 
chosen from several nations. The arbitrators decided that 
the United States did not own the seals when found far 
from the islands, though they laid down a set of rules for 
the protection of these animals. But it is found that these 
rules do not work very well, and if something else is not 
done to save the seals they will soon be all killed. 

The Presidential Election of 1892. — In 1892 the Repub- 
licans nominated for the next term of office Benjamin Har- 
rison, who was then President. The Democrats nominated 


232 


THE ERA OF PEACE AND PROGRESS. 


Grover Cleveland, who had been President from 1885 to 
1889. Cleveland was elected, and the Democratic party 
gained a majority in both houses of Congress, for the first 
time in many years. 

The American Quadricentennial. — By this long word is 
meant the end of the fourth century since the discovery of 
America by Columbus, which took place on the 12th of 
October, 1492. It was decided to make it the occasion for 
a great World’s Fair, to be held in the city of Chicago in 
1893, as the buildings could not* be got ready in 1892. The 
anniversary was celebrated in October, 1892, in New York 
by great processions, naval, military, and civic, and in 
Chicago by the dedication of the World’s Fair buildings. 
All through the country there were parades and festivities. 

The Fair was opened at Chicago on May 10, 1893. Mag- 
nificent preparations had been made for it, the buildings 
being of very great size and very beautiful in appearance. 
In all there were more than one hundred and fiftv build- 

t' 

ings. One of these, called the Building of Manufactures 
and Liberal Arts, covered more than thirty acres, and was 
larger than any previous exhibition building. The build- 
ings cost nearly twenty million dollars; they were covered 
with a substance that made them look like white marble, 
and their architecture was very fine. They were filled 
with splendid exhibits, and the Fair was very successful, 
many millions of people visiting it. It is looked upon 
as the largest, finest, and most beautiful World’s Fair ever 
held. 

The Wilson Tariff. — The Democratic party was now in 
power, and the new Congress, after repealing the Silver 
Purchase Act, took action upon the tariff The McKinley 
tariff of 1890 had laid high duties on imported goods, which 
^ was believed by the Democrats to be injurious to the country 


EVENTS AFTER THE WAR. 


233 


and a wrong to the people. Congress, therefore, in 1894, 
passed a new tarift* bill, known as the Wilson Tariff, which 
put lower duties on many articles. A tax was also laid on 
the incomes of the rich, but this the Supreme Court said 
was unconstitutional, and could not be law. 

The Strikes. — In 1892 a terrible strike of workmen took 
place in the iron-works at Homestead, near Pittsburg, Penn- 
sylvania, at which many people were killed. Another great 
strike broke out in Chicago in 1894 against the Pullman 
Car Company. Severe riots followed and much property 
was destroyed, and in the end the President had to send 
United States soldiers to force the rioters to obey the laws. 

Utah made a State. — Utah had been settled by the Mor- 
mons, a people whose religious belief permitted them to 
have more than one wife. This was against the laws of the 
country, and Congress passed an act to prevent it in 1882. 
In 1890 the Mormons consented to give up polygamy, as 
the custom was called. There were many people in Utah 
who were not Mormons, and who wished it to be made a 
State. As the laws had been obeyed, this was now granted, 
an Act was passed for this purpose in 1893, and on January 
4, 1896, President Cleveland proclaimed the admission of 
Utah as the forty-fifth State of the Union. 

Venezuela. — A dispute had long existed between Great 
Britain and Venezuela about the boundary line between 
that country and British Guiana. Many persons believed 
that Great Britain was taking from Venezuela more land 
than she had any just claim to, and in 1895 the President 
asked Congress to interfere in the matter. Long debate and 
much bad feeling followed, but in the end Great Britain 
agreed to let the matter be settled by arbitration. This was 
a great triumph for the United States, which is now looked 
upon as the protector of the weaker nations of America. 


234 


THE ERA OF PEACE AND PROGRESS, 


The Election of 1896. — In 1896 the Kepublicans nomi- 
nated William McKinley, of Ohio, for the Presidency. The 
Democrats and the Populists (a new party) nominated Wil- 
liam J. Bryan, of Nebraska. The Populist and Democratic 
parties advocated the free and unlimited coinage of silver 
and gold at the legal ratio of 16 to 1 the Republicans op- 
posed unlimited coinage of silver. McKinley was the choice 
of the majority, and became President March 4, 1897. 

A New Tariff. — The President at once called Congress 
tosrether to consider what should be done to raise more 
revenue for the country, and advised that higher duties 
should be placed on imported goods. A new tariff, higher 
in its rates than the Wilson tariff, was accordingly passed, 
and became law, July 24, 1897. 

The Cuban Rebellion. — The island of Cuba, lying south 
of Florida, was long a colony of Spain, but its people were 
80 badly treated that in 1895 they broke out in rebellion, as 
the Americans had done in 1775. A large army was sent 
from Spain, but it was not able to put down the rebellion, 
and fighting went on for three years. 

The Sinking* of the Maine. — In January, 1898, the 
American battle-ship Maine was sent to the harbor of 
Havana, the capital of Cuba. Here a dreadful event took 
place. On the night of February 15 the ship was blown up 
with dynamite, and nearly all on board were killed. No 
less than two hundred and sixty- six persons lost their lives, 
and the ship sank to the bottom of the harbor. This ter- 
rible affair greatly excited the people of the United States, 
many of whom were eager to go to war with Spain. On 
April 21, Congress demanded that Spain should take her 
soldiers and ships from Cuba. This Spain would not do, 
and war was declared. 

Naval Events. — The war beo:an with a blockade of the 

O 


F. VENTS AFTER THE WAR. 


235 


Caban coast by American war-ships. A fleet was also sent 
to the bay of Manila, the capital of the Philippine Islands, 
a colony of Spain in the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish fleet 
here was attacked on May 1, and all its ships were burned 
or sunk. The American ships were not injured, and only 
a few of the sailors were wounded. Commodore Dewey, 
who gained this great victory, was made a rear-admiral, 
and received the thanks of Congress. 

The Battle of Santiago. — Another Spanish fleet crossed 
the Atlantic Ocean and entered the harbor of Santiasro de 

O 

Cuba, where it was blocked up by a strong squadron of 
American ships. An army was sent to Santiago, and a battle 
took place there on the 1st and 2d of Jnly. Both armies 
fought bravely, and many were killed and wounded on 
each side ; but the Americans gained the victory and the 
Spanish army was driven back into the city. 

The Sinking of the Ships. — On the 3d of July the 
Spanish fleet, under Admiral Cervera, tried to escape from 
the harbor. The ships came out at full speed and fled 
along the coast, followed by the American ships. Both 
sides fired furiously, but the Spanish guns were poorly 
aimed, while nearly every American shot reached its mark. 
All the Spanish ships were sunk and many of their sailors 
killed ; but the American ships were little injured, and only 
one man was killed. 

Surrender of the Army. — This victory was soon followed 
by a surrender of the Spanish army at Santiago, the United 
States government agreeing to transport all the soldiers back 
to Spain. The island of Porto Pico was also invaded, and 
the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippine Islands, was 
captured by the army and fieet. 

Hawaii annexed. — During the war with Spain the 
Hawaiian Islands, which lie in the Pacific Ocean between 


236 


THE ERA OF PEACE AND PROGRESS. 


America and Asia, were annexed to the United States and 
in 1900 were made a Territory of this country, under the 
name of Hawaii. They are .a group of fertile islands, on 
which are the most wonderful volcanoes of the earth. 

Results of the War. — A treaty of peace with Spain was 
signed December 12, 1898, in which Spain gave up its 
claims on Cuba and yielded to the United States the Philip- 
pine Islands and the islands of Guam in the Pacific and 
Porto Rico in the West Indies. But the people of the 
Philippines were not satisfied with this and went to war 
against the United States and it was two years before they 
were subdued. Since then they have been prosperous and 
well satisfied, being given much more liberty than they had 
under the rule of Spain. 

McKinley and Roosevelt. — In 1900 President McKinley 
was again elected, having a large majority over William J. 
Bryan, who was once more the Democratic candidate. 
The Vice-President was Theodore Roosevelt, who had 
fought bravely in the war with Spain and was then Gov- 
ernor of Kew York. In the same year a census of the 
people was taken and the population of the United States 
found to be 76,303,387 — much more than that of any 
nation in Europe except Russia. 

Murder of the President. — Like Lincoln and Garfield, 
President McKinley was killed by an assassin. He went to 
Bufifalo, Kew York, in September, 1901, to witness a great 
exhibition of the products of the American nations, and on 
the 6th, while giving a reception to the people, was shot by 
one of those who came to shake hands with him. The mur- 
derer belonged to the society called Anarchists, Avho seek to 
kill all kings and rulers. The President died on September 
14, all the people of the country being filled with grief at his 
death. Vice-President Roosevelt succeded him as President. 


EVENTS AFTER THE WAR. 


237 


The Republic of Cuba. — After the close of the Spanish 
War the United States took charge of the Island of Cuba 
until 1902, when that country adopted a constitution, 
elected a President, and began its career as an American 
republic. The United States troops were withdrawn on 
the 20th of May, and Cuba left to govern itself. 

A New Department. — A new department was added to 
the government in February, 1903, under the name of the 
Department of Commerce and Labor, its purpose being to 
take charge of the interests of American commerce and 
industry. George B. Cortelyou was made its first Secretary 
and became a member of the President’s cabinet. 

The Panama Canal. — For many years a French com- 
pany had been trying to excavate a ship-canal from the 
Atlantic to the Pacific, across the Isthmus of Panama. In 
1902 the United States bought the partly-dug canal from 
the company for $40,000,000 and undertook to finish the 
canal. It purchased the right of way from the republic of 
Panama and a large force of men is now at work on the 
canal. 

The Election of 1904. — In 1904 Theodore Roosevelt, 
who filled the office of President after the death of Mc- 
Kinley, was nominated by the Republicans and was elected 
President of the United States by a very large majority over 
Alton B. Parker, the Democratic candidate. Charles W. 
Fairbanks was elected Vice-President. 

The Louisiana Purchase Exposition. — A World’s Fair 

m 

was held at St. Louis in 1904 in honor of the purchase of the 
great Louisiana region from France in 1803. The display 
was a splendid one, the buildings large and handsome, and 
the grounds beautifully decorated. Millions of people 
visited and greatly admired the exhibition. 


238 


THE ERA OF PEACE AND PROGRESS. 


The State of Oklahoma. — In 1889 the western half of 
Indian Territory, known as Oklahoma, which the Indians 
had not occupied, was opened to white settlers and soon had 
a large population. This grew so rapidly during the follow- 
ing years that the people asked to have it changed from a 
Territory into a State. In 1906 Congress passed a bill for 
this purpose, under which the Indian and Oklahoma Terri- 
tories were to be combined into a State to be known as 
Oklahoma. This was to be done when a constitution was 
formed and accepted by the President. 

The San Francisco Disaster. — In 1906 took place the 
most serious disaster ever known in this country. An earth- 
quake of great severity shook the coast region of California 
on April 18, causing wide-spread damage, especially in the 
large and flourishing city of San Francisco. Many of its 
finest buildings were ruined, hundreds of people killed, and 
a dreadful fire destroyed a great part of the city, inflicting a 
loss of more than $300,000,000. So great was the suffering 
that the charitable people of the country gave millions of 
dollars to buy food and provide shelter for the homeless 
citizens. With wonderful courage they soon set to work to 
rebuild their ruined city. 

Activity of President Roosevelt. — No American Presi- 
dent ever won the respect and admiration of the people more 
than Theodore Roosevelt. Honest, earnest, and full of 
energy, there was no great question of reform in which he 
did not take an active part, and it was largely due to him 
that the terrible war between Japan and Russia was brought 
to an end. This brought him the credit of being one of the 
great promoters of peace and the famous Nobel peace prize 
was awarded to him in 1906. All this made him a great 
favorite at home, and gained him the credit abroad of being 
one of the ablest and noblest rulers of the century. 


RECENT PROGRESS IN AMERICA. 



II.— RECENT PROGRESS IN AMERICA. 

The Disbanding* of the Armies. — When the civil war 
ended there were more than a million of men in the armies 
of the North. These were trained soldiers who knew all 
about the art of war, but had long been removed from the 
arts of peace. In old times such an army would have set 
up a kingdom and put their leader on the throne. Their 
generals would have become nobles, and spent a life of pride 
and idleness while making the people work for them, as 
Avas the case in France, about sixty years before, when 
Napoleon Bonaparte made himself emperor. 

^VTiat did the army of America do ? As fast as the sol- 
diers were paid off they laid down their arms and returned 
home, where they at once went to work to make a peaceful 
living. They became farmers, mechanics, merchants, etc., 
as they had been before the war. The generals began to 
make their living in the same quiet way as the men from 
the ranks. Even General Grant and General Lee were not 
too proud to work to earn a living. In a year or two after 
the war the armies had disappeared. Only the few soldiers 
were left that were needed to act as police for the nation. 

This was a remarkable result. In the countries of Europe 
to-day there are millions of soldiers, though these countries 
are at peace. Twenty-five thousand soldiers were enough to 
answer all the purposes of the United States until 1898, when 
the wars in Cuba and the Philippines caused an increase of 
the army to be made. The people of America are not forced 
to give part of their wages to keep up great and useless 
armies, and this is one reason why American workmen are 
so much better off than those of Europe. 

The Electric Cable. — It is in the arts of peace that 
America is now winning its victories. Let us see what some 


240 


THE ERA OF PEACE AND PROGRESS. 


of these have been. One of these victories of peace came 
just after the war. An electric wire, or cable, was laid 
under the ocean from America to Europe in 1866, and peo’ 
pie began to send messages to one another under two thoU' 
sand miles of sea. Since that time other cables have been 
laid between Europe and America, and every day now our 
papers print long accounts of what is taking place in Europe. 
They get their news from that great distance more quickly 
than they could have got news from a place ten miles away 
in the last century. 

Telegraph Extension. — In the United States telegraph 
wires now spread everywhere, and everything of importance 
that takes place is told in the newspapers of the whole 
country a few hours afterwards. There are more than two 
hundred and fifty thousand miles of telegraph lines, nearly 
three times as much as in any other country, and enough to 
go ten times around the earth. 

Signal Service. — One of the great benefits of the tele- 
graph is its use in the signal service. Every day the 
state of the weather in all parts of the country is tele- 
graphed to Washington. The reports thus received are 
carefully studied, and the kind of weather that is likely to 
come is made out and telegraphed in all directions. Warn- 
ings of storms thus sent are of great use to sea-captains and 
farmers, and there is no one who does not take interest in 
them. Along the coast there are life-saving stations, for the 
rescue of sailors and passengers from wrecked ships. These 
have proved of great service, and many lives have been 
saved by their brave crews. 

Electrical Discoveries. — Electricity has been made useful 
in many other ways. The streets of many of our cities and 
towns are brightly lighted with it, and stores and houses 
also use it for this purpose. It is used to run machinery and 


RECENT PROGRESS IN AMERICA 


241 


locomotives. By the invention of the telephone men are 
able to talk with one another over many miles of distance 
in the same tones they use in talking face to face. All this 
is very wonderful. It seems the work of magic. Yet it 
is as true as wonderful, and is the work of thought and 
industry, not of magic. 

Railroad Extension. — The railroads have made as great 
progress as the telegraphs. The greatest feat in railroad 



LIFE-SAVING STATION. 

building that the world had known up to that time was fin^ 
ished in 1869. This included the Union and Central Pacific 
Railroads, from Omaha, across the great plains and the Rocky 
Mountains, to San Francisco. The last spike of this railroad 
system was driven in May, near Ogden, in the Territory of 
Utah. This spike was connected with the telegraph wires, 
so that, as the blows of the hammer fell on it, they were 
heard in the telegraph ofiices of the principal cities of the 



242 


THE ERA OF PEACE AND PROGRESS. 


East. This was another great triumph of the telegraph, for 
these offices were thousands of miles awav from where the 
spike was being driven. Since then four other Pacific rail- 
roads, two in the l^orth and two in the South, have been 
built. A traveller can now go from New York to San 
Francisco, a distance of three thousand three hundred miles, 
in five days. He can cross the ocean to Europe in nearly 
as short a time in the fast steamships which now start at 
frecpient intervals. 

There are now more than two hundred and ten thousand 

miles of railroad in the United States, — more than in all 

Europe, and nearly as much as in all the world outside 

of this countrv. These railroads have been a wonderful 

%/ 

aid to travel. Sixty years ago it took a person half a year 
to go from Oregon to Washington; now he can do it in 
a few days. Thousands of persons travel to-day for every 
one who did so a century ago. Then a man would make his 
wdll if he were going from New York to Boston ; now 
he would hardly think of doing so if he were going to 
China. Railroads are also of the greatest use in carrying 
goods of all kinds from one part of the country to another. 
W^ithout them it would be impossible for the great cities 
of America to exist, for they could not get the food their 
people need. 

Postal Service. — It is wonderful how letter-writing has 
grown in America since the days of the railroad. In 1790 
there were only seventy-five post-offices in the United 
States ; now there are over seventy thousand. Then it 
took two days for a letter to go from Philadelphia to New 
York; now it takes two hours. Then the postage was ten 
cents up to forty miles, and twenty-five cents for distances 
over five hundred miles ; now it is two cents to all part^ 
of the country, and five cents to Europe. 


RECENT PROGRESS IN AMERICA. 


243 


Electric Cars. — For many years past the people of our 
cities have ridden through the streets in cars drawn by 
horses. Electricity has now taken the place of horses for 
this purpose, and cars tilled with passengers may be seen 
darting along in a way that seems magical, for no eye can 
behold the power that makes them move. These trolley 
cars, as they are called, run also far into the country and 
from city to city, and in some places large engines are 
moved by electric power. Many think that the travel of 
the future will be largely done in electric cars and that the 
steam locomotive will pass away. 

Bicycles. — There is another favorite mode of travel in 
our days, one in which the traveller himself supplies the 
power. This is the^^icycle, whose wheels are moved by 
the muscles of the rider. It has been improved until it 
can go as fast as the horse, and travel much farther in a 
day. Hundreds of thousands of these ‘‘silent steeds,” as 
some have called them, came into use in every part of the 
country and by all classes of people. Men, women, and 
children used them, and they were very popular for a 
number of years. They are now little ridden except for 
business purposes. 

Automobiles. — The horse is of much less use now than 
of old. Not only electric cars and bicycles have taken the 
place of this useful animal, but carriages to run without 
horses are coming into use. These are moved by small 
motors, worked by electricity, steam, or other sources of 
power, and are known as automobiles. First used largely 
in France, they have come into common use in this coun- 
try, and there are thousands of them in our cities. 

The New Navy. — In the past battle-ships were built of 
wood and had high masts, with a great sweep of sail. At 
present war-vessels are covered with thick plates of steel. 


244 


THE ERA OF PEACE AND PROGRESS, 


and are moved by powerful steam-engines. The fleets that 
once proudly swept tlie seas would soon be sent to the bot- 
tom by the great rifled cannons now in use. The nations 
of Europe have built themselves large navies of this kind. 
The United States long had only the old-fashioned moni- 
tors of the civil war, but now possesses a new navy, some 
of whose vessels are among the swiftest and strongest in the 



MODERN BATTI, E-SHIPS. 


world. New vessels are added every year, and in time this 
country is likely to have as fine and powerful a navy as any 
of the other nations. 

Increase of Population. — The population of the United 
States in 1790, when the first census was taken, was less 
than four millions. In the year 1900 it was over seventy- 
six millions, an addition of more than seventy millions 
in a century. This is a great increase. If this rate of growth 
continues the United States will soon have the greatest 
population of any enlightened nation of the earth. The 
people of Europe are coming here in multitudes every 


RECENT PROGRESS IN AMERICA. 


245 


year ; at present more than a million in each year. These 
spread over all parts of the country, and are very useful 
as farmers, laborers, and mechanics. Many of them, how- 
ever, are very ignorant and do not make good citizens. 
There are laws to prevent paupers and some other classes 
from entering the country, and it is p^^oposed to keep out 
all who cannot read or write. Other restrictions will, no 
doubt, in time be made, so that only the more desirable 
classes of immigrants can be admitted. 

The Indians. — Many Chinese also have come to America, 
but the laws do not permit any more to enter the country. 
They did not make good citizens, and were arriving in such 
numbers that it became necessary to stop them. The In- 
dians, who once had possession of the whole country, are 

now collected on reservations in the W est. Thev are so few 

€/ 

in number that these reservations are very thinly peopled. 
There has been no fighting for many years with the In- 
dians, and there may be no more. They are provided with 
food by the government, but many of them are working for 
themselves. Some of the tribes of the former Indian Terri- 
tory are becoming civilized. They hold their lands in 
common ; but it is proposed to divide them into farms, and 
give each Indian family its own farm. It is thought that they 
will become more contented and industrious if this is done. 

One of the great means taken to civilize the Indians is by 
education. Schools have been started at various points, in 
which Indian children are taught the elements of knowledge, • 
the use of tools, and the benefits of industry. These schools 
are proving very useful, and many young Indians are going 
back to their tribes with trained hands and cultivated minds. 
In a few years these young men will become leaders in the 
tribes, and must do much to bring them into habits of civ- 
ilization. The days of the wild Indians of this country are 


i 


246 the era of peace and progress. 

nearly over. In the future we shall have working and 
thinking Indians to take their place. 

Increase of Wealth. — In the years that have passed since 
the close of the war the United States has grown greatly in 
riches. In 1880, Great Britain was the only country in the 
world that had more wealth. By 1900 the United States 
had become the richest country on the earth. Part of 
this wealth comes from the product of the American mines. 
The mines of the West yield a large value in gold and silver 
yearly ; but the iron, coal, copper, and other mines of the 
country are yet more valuable. And of still greater value is 
the soil, which yields more food than all the people of the 
United States can consume. 

Manufacturing* Industries. — Another great source of this 
wealth is the manufacturing industry of the United States, 
which produces thousands of millions of dollars’ worth of 
goods yearly. In former times most of the articles used in 
this country were brought from Europe, but now many 
things are sent from here to Europe. American watches are 
the cheapest in the world, and no better are made anywhere. 
Many other things came from abroad, such as glassware, line 
furniture, soap, writing-paper, perfumery, carriages, and 
numerous other articles ; now we make more than we can 
use of these goods, and send many of them to other coun- 
tries. At one time all our line knives, tools, and other goods 
of steel came from Sheffield, in England, and only coarse 
cutlery and tools were made here ; now American cutlery 
is sent to Sheffield and sold there. Years ago nearly all our 
carpets were brought from England; but now the city ’of 
Philadelphia is the greatest carpet manufacturing city in 
the world. The same could be said of many other things. * 
The United States sends to other countries to-day great 
quantities of manufactured goods, meat, and grain. We 


RECENT PROGRESS IN AMERICA. 


247 


produce so much more than we can use that there is plenty 
left to sell to other countries. 

Invention of Machinery. — This great progress is due to 
the remarkable inventive power of the Americans. In ma- 
chinery for saving labor the United States is in advance 
of all other nations. Our inventors are so active that more 
than twenty-two thousand patents have been granted in a 
single year. Machines are made to do all kinds of work. 
Farmers do not have to work half so hard as they once did, 
and yet produce much more. The same may be said of 
every kind of manufacturing business. A hundred years 
ago the printing-press could only print tw^o hundred and 
fifty sheets on one side in an hour; now forty thousand 
sheets can be printed on both sides in the same time. 

Progress of the South. — This progress is not confined to 
the North and West. The South is making great progress 
also. At the end of the war the Southern States were in a 
condition of ruin. Only their soil was left, and much of 
that had been so overworked that it was of no value. The 
slaves whom they had depended on to do their work were 
free. It looked as if it would take a century to recover 
from the ruin of the war. 

Yet the South to-day is richer and better off* than it 
ever was. Free labor has proved more profitable than 
slave labor, and the crops of cotton and other produce are 
greater than ever. And the white population has gone 
to work nobly and cheerfully. The country is being de- 
veloped everywhere. Iron and coal mines are now being 
opened and worked, and workshops and factories are being 
built in many parts of the South. Great exhibitions have 
been held at New Orleans, Atlanta, and Charleston, in 
which the progress of the South was shown. In the time 
to come the whole country will be one great hive of indus- 


248 


THE ERA OF PEACE AND PROGRESS. 


try, and all parts will work together for the good of the 
whole. 

The Pacific States. — AYhile there has been great prog- 
ress in the older parts of the country, the same may be 
said of the far West. There are no more productive States 
in the Union than those that border on the Pacific. For 
many miles inland from the ocean the land is very fertile 
and the crops are large, fruits being especially fine and 
plentiful. The orchards of Oregon and the vineyards and 
orange groves of California are nowhere surpassed. 

In the mountain regions of the West little rain falls and 
much of the country is a desert. But the water of the 
rivers and mountain streams is carried to the fields in long 
canals, from which many small ditches convey it to the 
soil. This system is called irrigation, and large crops are 
raised by its aid. Great herds of cattle and sheep are also 
kept, and the mountains are covered with forests of valuable 
timber, many of the trees being of immense size. 

Mining*. — But the great value of the Sierra Nevada and 
Rocky Mountains lies in their mines of the precious metals 
and of other valuable minerals. Gold, silver, lead, and 
copper are abundant, and rich deposits of many other min- 
erals are found. No part of the world has yielded more 
gold than California; Nevada and Colorado have proved 
very rich in silver; and others of the Western States have 
mines of gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, etc. 

Gold in Alaska. — For a number of years men had been 
mining gold in Alaska, and in the summer of 1897 the 
news came that rich deposits of placer gold had been found 
on the Klondike, a branch of the great Yukon River. The 
region was cold and barren, and very difficult to reach ; but 
thousands of miners went there, though there was danger 
that they might starve from lack of food. It is now easy 


RECENT PROGRESS IN AMERICA. 


249 


to get there by railroad and steamboat. Gold has been 
found since then at Cape Nome, on the coast of Alaska. 
In placer deposits the gold is found in the sands and gravels 
along the rivers, having been washed from the quartz veins 
in the mountains. To obtain it the earth is dug up and 
the sand and dirt washed from the gold by running water. 



GOLD-MINERS IN ALASKA. 


In Alaska the ground is frozen, and must be softened by 
fires before the gold-bearing soil can be obtained. This is 
done in the winter, and the earth is washed when the 
streams be2*in to flow in the summer. 

o 

Petroleum and Natural Gas. — Another great source of 
wealth in this country is its vast supply of petroleum, or 
rock oil, which is found far below the surface. It is 
reached by boring deep wells, from which the oil flows or 


250 


THE ERA OF PEACE AND PROGRESS. 


is pumped up. Petroleum is abundant in Pennsylvania 
and some other States, and is much used for burning and 
other purposes. Many of these wells yield also large quan- 
tities of what is known as natural gas, which burns with a 
bright flame and great heat. It is used for lighting and 
warming houses and in factories, and is conveyed from the 
wells in pipes to distant towns and cities, where it takes 
the place of coal in manufactories. 

Fish Culture. — The lakes and rivers of the United States, 
and the waters of the neighboring oceans, are rich in Ashes, 
many of which are very valuable as food. But fishing has 
been so active and reckless that the supply is growing small, 
and there has long been danger that this great source of 
wealth would fail. This is prevented by what is known as 
fish culture. Every year many millions of fish-eggs are 
hatched out by artificial means and the young fish cared 
for until they are able to care for themselves. They are 
then placed in the open waters, and in a few years are large 
enough to catch. In this way the supply of fish is likely 
to be kept up, no matter how many may be caught in the 
fishermen’s nets. 

Commerce. — The grain and cotton grown and the goods 
made in the United States are sent to all parts of the earth 
and other goods are brought back. This ocean commerce 
lias increased rapidly in recent years, the total value of 
these goods being now over $3,000,000,000 yearly. And 
the goods sent out are worth several hundreds of millions of 
dollars more than those received, so that we have a large 
balance of trade in our favor, which we receive in money. 

Education. — If we look for the causes of this great prog- 
ress we shall find that one of the most important is educa- 
tion. The people of the United States are among the best 
educated on the face of the earth. In 1900 there were a great 


RECENT PROGRESS IN AMERICA, 


251 


multitude of public schools in the country, with over sixteen 
million pupils. There are now many more than this. Be- 
sides these, there are more than four hundred colleges and 
a very considerable number of private schools. Our people 
spend more for the support of their public schools than the 
people of all Europe. In this way we are being taught to 
use our brains as well as our hands, and it is this brain- 
work which keeps the country so active in every direction. 

School-life is not ended when the school-term of the boy 
or girl is over. We go to school all our lives, and our edu- 
cation is all the time increasing. Newspapers and books 
constantly add to the learning gained in the school-house. 
There are now about twenty-live thousand newspapers and 
magazines in the United States, there being enough news- 
papers printed every week to give one to every man, 
woman, and child in the country. Books are also printed 
in such numbers that every one can have all the reading he 
needs for very little money. A century ago many of the 
people could not get one new book a year. Many now get 
a new one almost everv dav. 

t/ 

Every city has its libraries, its art galleries, and other 
means for the higher education of the people. Education 
is spreading in new directions. Instruction in industry is one 
of the new ideas of the times. Children are being taught 
ito draw and to use tools, and are thus being made lit for 
the business of life ; for in life the body has to be used as 
well as the brain, and to make the best kind of a man 
the body and the brain of the child need to be educated 
together. 

Benevolence. — Of one more thing we may speak. The 
people of the United States are developing in charity as 
well as in other directions. Everywhere we see hospitals, 
asylums, and homes which have been started by the money 


THE ERA OF PEACE AND PROGRESS. 


252 

of rich people. A\Tienever a great fire takes place, or a 
great storm destroys farms and villages, the people give 
money freely to help the destitute. This is the best kind 
of progress. It is progress in that love for all mankind 
which was taught by Christ. Let us hope that it will grow 
and spread in this country, for in that way the people of 
America may be made the noblest and the happiest of all 
the people of the earth. 

PART VIII -QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 

I. How many soldiers were in the Union army during the war? How 
many were there at the end of the war? About how many Confederate 
soldiers were there ? How many were lost on each side ? What was the 
United States debt at the end of the war? Where was most damage done? 
What was the condition of the South after the war? What of the North? 
What good was accomplished by the war? What is now thought of slavery 
in the South ? What did the people think of Abraham Lincoln ? How 
were they alfected by his assassination ? Who succeeded him as President ? 
What was to be done ? What is done by the Thirteenth Amendment to the 
Constitution ? What by the Fourteenth ? How did President Johnson deal 
with the laws passed by Congress on the subject of reconstruction? What 
did Congress do in consequence ? What is meant by impeachment of a 
President ? Before what court was he tried ? W^hat was the result of the 
trial? What is done by the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution? 
How did the seceded States act towards these amendments ? When did the 
last of them come back into the Union? How were the Western Indians 
treated ? What happened in consequence ? What has been done with these 
Indians? What new territory was added to the United States in 1867? 
From whom was it purchased ? What makes it valuable ? What President 
was elected in 1868 ? How long did he remain President ? What great fire 
took place in 1871 ? How much of the city was burned ? What was the 
money loss? Where did great forest fires take place in the same year? In 
what other city did a great fire break out the next year ? What was the loss? 
How did the people act after the fires? What is meant by the “ Alabama 
claims’’? Why did America blame England? How was it decided ti 
settle the dispute? What sum was England required to pay ? How are dist 
putes between nations usually settled ? What was the cause of the business 
panic of 1873 ? What effect did it have upon the country ? How long did 


QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 


253 


it take for business to recover from the panic ? Where was a great exhibi- 
tion held in 1876 ? Why ? What did this exhibition teach our people ? In 
what has great progress taken place since that time ? Who were the candi- 
dates in the Presidential election of 1876? How was the dispute about the 
election settled ? Who became President? When did gold come into use 
again as money ? How long had the business of the country been done with 
paper money only? In what years was yellow fever an epidemic in the 
South? How did the North act? What effect had this on the feeling of the 
two sections ? Who w'as elected President in 1880? What did he do about 
appointing men to office ? What sort of men did this make angry ? What 
happened to the President? How long did he live afterwards? What was 
the feeling of the people? What is said about the telegraphic service? 
Who became President after Garfield’s death? Who became President in 
1885 ? By what party was he elected ? Of what party were all the Presi- 
dents between 1861 and 1885? What terrible event happened in the South 
in 1886? What was the effect of the earthquake at Charleston? What have 
the working people done of recent years? When did the eight-hour strike 
take place in Chicago? What was done by the anarchists when the police 
tried to break up their meeting? Describe the disaster at Johnstown, Penn- 
sylvania. What was the purpose of the Pan-American Congress ? What was 
the McKinley tariff? What is meant by reciprocity in trade? What was 
the purpose of the silver bills? What took place in business affairs in 1893? 
What new States were admitted in 1889 ? What in 1890 and 1896? What 
Territories remained ? What was the population of the United States 
in 1890? AVhat is meant by the Copyright law? What changes were made 
in the pension list? What in the immigration laws? What trouble arose 
about the seal fisheries? Who were nominated for the Presidency in 1892? 
Who was elect.ed President ? What is meant by the American Quadricenten- 
nial? What celebrations took place? Describe the Columbian World’s Fair? 
What changes in the tariff were made in 1894 and 1897 ? Describe the great 
strikes of 1892 and 1894. What took place in Utah? Describe the Vene- 
zuelan boundary dispute. Who was elected President in 1896 ? What were 
the causes of the war with Spain in 1898? What great naval victories were 
gained by the United States? How did the war end? What new territory 
was acquired by the United States? WHiat took place in the Philippine 
Islands ? 

II. How many soldiers were in arms at the end of the war? What would such 
an army have done in old times? What did the American army do? What 
great event took place in 1866? What advantage do we get from the Atlantic 
cables? How many miles of telegraph line are there in the United States? How 
does this compare with the telegraphs of other countries ? What is the purpose 


254 


^HE ERA OF PEACE AND PROGRESS. 


of the signal service ? To whom is it of great use? In what ways is electricity 
used ? What does the telephone enable men to do ? "What great feat in rail- 
road building was finished in 1869 ? Describe the event of driving the last 
spike. What other Pacific railroads are there? How long does it take to go 
from New York to San Francisco ? How long to Europe ? How many miles 
of railroad are there in the United States at present? How does this compare 
with Europe and the world ? How has it affected travel ? In what other 
w'ays are the railroads useful ? How many post-offices were there in the 
United States in 1790? How many are there now? How much faster are 
letters carried now than then ? What was the rate of postage then ? What 
is it now? What can you say about the electric street-cars? What about 
the use of bicycies and of motor carriages ? What changes have taken place 
in our navy? What has been the increase in population? How many persons 
come here from Europe? Are the Chinese admitted to this country? How 
are the Indians cared for? What means are taken to civilize them? In 
what wav are the Indian schools useful ? AVhich is the richest countrv in 
the world? What are important sources of the wealth of America? What 
kinds of goods did we formerly get from abroad ? What do we now send 
abroad? To what do we owe our great progress in manufacturing? 
How many patents have been granted in a single year? Do people have 
to work as hard as they did? What advance has been made in the ai't 
of printing? What changes have taken place in the South? What is said (:>f 
the Pacific States? What of the products of the mines? Of the gold of 
Alaska? What other great source of natural wealth can you name? Tell 
what you know about fish culture. About the commerce of this country. 
What progress has been made in education? How many newspapers and 
magazines are there at the present time? How have the number of books in- 
creased in this country? What other means of education have the cities? 
What new idea is there in education ? What is said about benevolence in 
America? In what ways do people give money freely? What eflfect is 
progress in this direction likely to have upon the American people? 








» 


8 







NEW STATE CAPITOL OF PENNSYLVANIA, 



HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


I.— THE PERIOD OF SETTLEMENT. 

The Natives. — AVhen white men first came to the region 
now known as Pennsylvania, they found it occupied by 
several tribes of Indians. In the eastern part was a tribe 
whom they named Delawares, from the name given to the 
river on which they dwelt. Their native title was Lenni 
Leuape. Farther west, in the mountain country along the 
Susquehanna River, dwelt the Monseys or Wolf tribes, and 
in the north were a number of tribes known to the natives 
as Mingoes, but called Iroquois By the French and the 
Five Nations by the English. The Delawares were not 
warlike. They had been conquered by the Mingoes, and 
could not go to war or make treaties without their consent. 
Thus the first whites had a peaceful people to deal with. 

The Dutch 'Arrive. — In 1609, Captain Henry Hudson, 
sent by the Dutch to this country, sailed a short distance 
into Delaware Bay. From there he sailed to the Hudson 
River. The Dutch called this the North River and the 
Delaware the South River, and claimed as their own all 
the territory between them. In 1623, Captain Mejy who 
gave his name to Cape May (though time has made a 
change in the spelling), sailed up the South River and 
built a fort a few miles below the site of Philadelphia, 
near the present city of Gloucester, New Jersey. This 

255 

t 


256 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


fort was soon abandoned, but in 1631 a Dutch settlement 
was made near the present site of Lewes, Delaware. It 
did not last long, its people quarrelling with the Indians, 
who killed them all within a year. 

The Swedes. — The Dutch had at this time a thrivins: 
settlement at the mouth of the Hudson, and the King of 
Sweden thought that he would also like to possess a colony 
in America, so he sent out in 1638 two ship-loads of colo- 
nists. These crossed the ocean to the South River, up which 
they sailed, the Swedes being so pleased with the appear- 
ance of the surrounding country that they called it Para- 
dise. Some of them settled near Brandywine Creek, others 
near Chester and Darby Creeks, and in 1642 Governor 
Printz built himself a mansion on Tinicum Island and 
made this the seat of government. A town was after- 
wards laid out on Chester Creek and named Upland (now 
Chester). 

Other Swedes soon came and settled at various points 
along the river, some of them as far north as the site of 
Philadelphia. For defence against the Indians they built 
log forts or block-houses. But they were friendly and 
honest in their dealings with the natives and kept on good 
terms with them, so that there were no quarrels and the 
forts were not needed. 

The Dutch Conquest. — The Dutch of Kew Amsterdam 
were not pleased with the coming of the Swedes. They 
claimed all the land along the Delaware as their own, and 
it was not long before they made war on the new settlers. 
In 1655 a Dutch fleet filled with soldiers sailed up the river, 
and all the Swedish forts were taken. But the private 
rights of the Swedes were not interfered with, and they 
remained on the land, though it was governed by the Dutch. 
A Swedish ship filled with colonists sailed up the river the 


THE PERIOD OF SETTLEMENT. 


257 


next year. The Dutch tried to stop it, but the Indians in- 
terfered in behalf of their friends the Swedes, and the ship 
was permitted to proceed. In it were some of the first 
settlers of Philadelphia. 

The English Come. — Nine years after the Dutch came 
the English. They took possession of New Amsterdam 
and named it New York, and in 1664 they sailed up the 
Delaware and took the Dutch fort at New Castle. That 
was the last of Dutch rule in North America, except in the 
years 1673 and 1674, when, during a war between England 
and Holland, the latter country took and held for a time 
its old possessions. But the Dutch and the Swedes lived 
happily enough under English rule. 

Naming the River. — The South River, as the Dutch 
called it, was named by the Swedes the New Swedeland 
River. The English, on gaining possession, called the river 
and bay by the name of Delaware, after Lord De la AVar, 
governor of Virginia, who had visited the bay many years 
before. 

The Friends. — The religious sect known as the Friends, 
or Quakers, who had been cruelly treated in England, began 
about this time to look upon America as a place of refuge, 
and a number of them came over and settled in AVestern 
New Jersey, where AVilliam Penn and others had bought 
lands. George Fox, the foutider of the societv, visited 
them here in 1673. In 1675 some of them crossed the 
Delaware and settled near Upland. A few years afterwards, 
when they heard that AV^illiam Penn had been granted the 
land west of the river, others crossed and sought homes 
and farms in the country near Upland. 

AVilliam Penn. — The sect of the Friends was at first made 
up of poor people of England, but some persons of higher 
station soon joined it, among them AATlliam Penn, son of 


258 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


Admiral Penn of the British navy. The young convert 
was a friend of the king, Charles II. , and of his brother, the 
Duke of York, and had great influence at court, which he 
used for the benetit of the sufterins; Friends. His father 
had left him a large claim against the English government, 
and, as the king could not pay him the money, he asked for 
a errant of that tract of land in America which lav west of 
the Delaware River and between the provinces of Mary- 
land and Yew York. 

Penn’s Grant. — This the king was very willing to give 
him. The patent for the grant was carefully written on 
parchment, and is still preserved, being kept in the exec- 
utive chamber at Harrisburg. The land granted to Penn 
was to extend through five degrees of longitude, to be 
bounded on the east by the Delaware River, on the north 
by the forty-third degree of north latitude, and on the 
south by the arc of a circle beginning on the river twelve 
miles north of Yew Castle and drawn westward to the be- 
ginning of the fortieth degree of north latitude, which it 
was to follow to the western boundary. 

The Southern Boundary. — The terms of this grant after- 
wards led to a dispute with Lord Baltimore. The curved 
line drawn twelve miles from Yew Castle was found to lie 
a number of miles south of the fortieth parallel of latitude, 
which runs near Philadelphia. Penn claimed that the for- 
tieth degree began as soon as the thirty-ninth was f)assed. 
Lord Baltimore claimed that his grant extended to the for- 
tieth parallel. The one claim would have placed Philadel- 
phia on the southern border of the State, the other would 
have placed the border nearly seventy miles south of that 
city, as far south as Baltimore. The dispute was not settled 
till 1761, when the English courts fixed the line midway 
between the thirty-ninth and fortieth parallels. Two Eng- 


THE PERIOD OF SETTLEMENT. 


259 


lish engineers, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, then 
surveyed and marked out the boundary line. It is still 
known as Mason and Dixon's line. 

The Coming* of the People. — The grant was signed by 
Charles II. on March 4, 1681, the new province being 
named by him Pennsylvania, or Penn's Woodland. As 
soon as news of what had been done reached America, a 
number of Friends crossed from New Jersey to the new 
province, being joyful to learn that they had a home pre- 
pared for them under a wise and just member of their own 
society. 

William Markham, Penn’s cousin, was made deputy- 
governor, and reached Pennsylvania in June, *1681. A 
court was held at Upland in September, one of whose hrst 
acts was to forbid the sale of intoxicating liquors to tlie 
Indians. It was known that such sale was likely to cause 
trouble and perhaps lead to bloodshed. Three ships loaded 
with emigrants left England that year, in one of which came 
the commissioners who were to examine the land and the 
river and choose a suitable spot for the city which Penn 
proposed to found. He gave orders that the houses of this 
city should be built in the middle of large plots, that there 
may be ground on each side for gardens, or orchards, or 
fields, that it maybe a green country town which will never 
be burnt aiul alwavs wholesome.” 

The Site of Philadelphia. — He also sent messages of good 
will to the Indians, which they received with joy, for they 
wished to dwell in peace with the whites. In 1682 there 
were about two thousand white people in the province, 
mostly Swedes. At Wicaco, on the site of Philadelphia, 
was a Swedish church, which had been built as a block- 
house in 1669. There was a Friends’ meetino:-house at 
Shackamaxon (afterwards Kensington). These buildings 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


2()0 


were on the ground which the commissioners selected for 
the new city, its location, between the Delaware and Schuyl- 
kill Rivers, seeming to them veiy suitable for the purpose. 
For this city Penn had chosen the name of Philadelphia, or 

Brotherly love,” hoping to make it a home of kindly feel- 
ing, honor, and justice. 

Penn's Arrival. — On the 30th of August, 1682, William 
Penn left England in the ship Welcome, and reached the 
town of ^ew Castle on October 27. About one hundred 
emio:rants sailed with him, but thirtv of them died of small- 
pox on the voyage. He reached Upland probably on the 
28tli. It is said that on seeing it he turned to his friend 



LANDING OF WILLIAM PENN AT CHF.STER. 


Pearson and asked, What wilt thou that I should call 
this place ?” Pearson answered, Chester,” the name of 
the En owlish town from which he had come. Some writers 
say that this story is doubtful, but it is certain that Penn 
named the place Chester, its good old name of Upland 
l)eing lost. 

The new owner of the province at once called a court, to 
meet at Hew Castle on Hovember 2. Here the claims of 


THE PER TOD OF SETTLEMENT. 


2(31 


the people to their lands were made good, and they were 
told that they should be governed by laws of their own 
making. It is proper to state that the territory now known 
as the State of Delaware, claimed by the Duke of York, tlie 
brother of the king, had been sold by him to Penn, who 
thus owned the land on the west as far south as the mouth 
of Delaware Bay. It is not known on what day Penn went 
to Philadelphia. There is a tradition that he went there 
from Chester in an open boat with some friends. We know 
that he was there on the 8th of November, 1682. 

Treaty with the Indians. — We are told that the proprie- 
tor made himself very friendly to the Indians, walking and 
sitting with them and eating some of their roasted acorns 
and hominy. When they began to show how they could 
hop and jump, he won their respect by showing them that 
he could do better than the best of them at this exercise. 
Soon after he made a treaty with them, to which the dif- 
ferent tribes sent delegates, and in which it was agreed 
that “ The Indians and the English will live in love as long 
as the sun and moon shall endure.’’ Tradition says that this 
treaty was made under a great elm-tree at Shackamaxon, 
which was blown down by a storm in 1810. There is now 
a monument on the spot, with a small park around it. 

The City and Province. — The new city was laid out in 
1683, with streets crossing at right angles, those running 
north and south being named Front, Second, etc., those 
running westward from the Delaware being named Chest- 
nut. Walnut, Spruce, etc., after the forest-trees. Midway 
between the rivers ran a wide street named Broad Street, 
and midway in the other direction a wide street named 
High (now Market) Street. Where these two streets 
crossed a public square was laid out. It was known as 
Centre, and afterwards as Penn, Square, but is now occu- 


262 


HISTORY OF PENySYLVANIA. 


pied by the Philadelphia City Hall. The province was 
divided into three - counties, Philadelphia, Chester, and 
Bucks. The territory of Delaware was also laid out in 
three counties. Several Swedes had farms on the site of 
Philadelphia, but Penn paid them for their lands, as he also 
paid the Indians for all lands taken from them, is’o land 
was occupied by him without the consent of the owners. 

The First Assembly. — The new proprietor did not pro- 
pose to make laws for the people. He had promised them 
a free government by their own representatives, and at once 
ordered an election to take place. The delegates elected 
met at Chester on December 4, 1682, and formed there the 
hrst legislative assembly of Pennsylvania. This assembly 
Avas in session three days, in which it passed The Great 
Law,’’ a system of government which Penn had carefully 
prepared. This gave the people the right to make their 
own laws, all who believed in the Deity the right to Avor- 
ship as they pleased, and all tax-payers the right to vote 
'and hold office, and forbade SAvearing, blasphemy, gam- 
bling, play-acting, and drunkenness under penalty of fine 
and imprisonment. Prisons Avere declared to be Avork- 
houses, AAdiere felons Avere to be reformed and taught some 
useful trade. This AA^as a great improvement on the Eng- 
lish prisons of that time. 

Courts Avere also provided for, and a council Avhich AA^as 
to assist the governor in the discharge of his duties. The 
council had no share in the making of the laAvs, its poAvers 
being confined to putting them in force. Pennsylvuinia 
thus had a single laAA^-making body, Avhile each of the other 
colonies had tAvo. At the first session of the council, in 
March, 1683, it tried a woman for Avitchcraft, the only case 
of this kind ever tried in Pennsylvania. The accused Avas 
declared not guilty. 


THE PERIOD OF SETTLEMENT. 


New Settlers Arrive. — In August, 1683, Penn wrote 
home that there were about eighty houses already in the 
city. In October a colony of Germans arrived and founded 
the village of Germantown, six miles from Philadelphia. 
Some of these lived for a time in caves which the first 
settlers had dug for homes along the river bank. A AVelsh 
settlement had been made in 1682. The Welsh were not 
liked by the English, and were not welcomed in Philadel- 
phia. They went back into the wilderness and founded 
the townships of Merion and Haverford, now parts of Mont- 
gomery and Chester Counties. Many Friends came from 
England and settled at Philadelphia, Chester, Darby, and 
along the Delaware River as far up as the falls. 

When Penn set out for home, which was on the 12th of 
August, 1684, the province is said to have had about seven 
thousand inhabitants, of whom twenty-five hundred were 
in Philadelphia, which was then a city of over three hun- 
dred houses and with many ships sailing to foreign ports. 
The people were made up of Swedes, Finns, Dutch, Eng- 
lish, Welsh, and Germans, to whom were soon added 
Scotch, Irish, and French. The last named were Hugue- 
nots, or Protestants, who had fied from religious persecution 
at home, as had also manv of the Germans. 

A large body of Swiss Mennonites came in 1709, also on 
account of religious persecution. They settled at first in 
Germantown, but in 1712 formed a settlement at Pequea, 
Lancaster County. This was a beautiful and fertile valley, 
and many Germans afterwards came there. Before 1727 
there were nearly fifty thousand settlers in Pennsylvania, 
very many of whom were Germans, and the settlements 
extended as far west as the Susquehanna and its tribu- 
taries. 


264 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


IL— THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PPvOVINCE. 

Disputes in the Assembly. — After Penn went home dis- 
putes arose between the assembly and the coiineih The 
members from Delaware (then known as the Territories) 
also quarrelled with those from the province, and in 1691 
they withdrew and the people of the Territories elected an 
assembly of their own. Penn gave them a separate gov- 
ernor, so that there were now two assemblies and two 
deputy-governors. They were united again by Governor 
Fletcher in 1693, but tinally separated in 1702, Delaware 
then becoming an independent province, though both re- 
mained under one governor until 1776. 

Penn arrested. — Meanwhile, there were troublous times 
in England. King Charles died in 1685, and the Duke of 
York became king as James II. , but he proved so great a 
tyrant that the people rebelled and drove him from the king- 
dom in 1688, and William, Prince of Orange, became king. 
AVilliam Penn had been a friend of King James, and was 
arrested for treason in 1692 and his province taken from 
him and placed under Governor Fletcher of Kew York. 
This governor acted like a tyrant, and the people were very 
glad when they heard in 1694 that Penn had been cleared 
of the charge of treason and his province restored to him. 

The Proprietor returns. — It was not until 1699 that the 
proprietor was able to return to his province. He had been 
detained by difficulties and misfortunes in England, and 
came back to find the people in trouble and dismay. That 
dreadful scourge, the yellow fever, had broken out, and 
many of them had died. But they were cheered by tlie 
coming among them of their true friend, and the assembly 
was at once called to meet in Philadelphia and revise the 
laws of which complaints had been made- 


DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROVINCE. 


265 


Slave-holding*. — One question to be dealt with was that 
of slavery. Penn had found slaves in the province in 1682, 
and made no objection to their presence. The Germans of 
Germantown protested against slave-holding in 1688, but it 
was not until 1696 that the Friends took any steps to check 
it. A bill for the abolition of slaver v was broimht before 

«• O 

the assembly in 1699, but the only action taken was to give 
the slaves the benefit of a legal trial when charged with 
wrong-doing. An effort was made to stop the sale of liquor 
to the Indians, but the frontiersmen could not be controlled 
and the sale went on. 

Penn’s Return to Eng*land. — Penn now proposed to make 
Pennsylvania his future home, a mansion having been built 
for him at Pennsbury on the Delaware, about twenty-five 
miles above Philadelphia. He moved thither in 1700. But 
news came from England that there was a bill before Par- 
liament for the purpose of doing away with proprietary 
governments in America and placing all the provinces 
under the king. He felt it necessary to go back to defend 
his rights, and did so in 1701, leaving a governor and grant- 
ing a new constitution, which gave the people an increase of 
power. The new charter made Philadelphia a corporate city, 
Edward Shippen being chosen as its first mayor. 

War Troubles; Governor Evans’s Scheme. — The next 
event of importance in the history of Pennsylvania arose 
from what is known as Queen Anne’s AVar, in which the 
French and Indians of Canada made attacks upon the 
English colonies. There were two parties now in the 
}>rovince, the Friends and some sects of the Germans, who 
were opposed to war, and those of other beliefs, who 
thought that money and men should be provided for de- 
fence against the enemy. 

The peace party was the strongest in the assembly and 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


2G() 


council, but the governor was opposed to it and raised a 
company of soldiers. Governor Hamilton died in 1703 
and was succeeded by John Evans, who also favored war, 
but who turned the people against him by playing a trick 
upon them. On the day of the annual fair in Philadelphia, 
when the streets were filled with people from the country, 
a messenger came in great haste from ^sew Castle and said 
that Spanish ships were in the river and would soon attack 
the city. 

Governor Evans now mounted his horse and rode at 
full speed through the streets, sword in hand, calling on 
the people to arm for defence. His action threw the city 
into panic and confusion, the shipping was hurried away 
up the river, articles of value were hidden, and for some 
hours everybody was in dismay. Then word came that the 
report was false, and the people grew as angry as they had 
been frightened. The governor and his friends for a time 
were in danger. The alarm did not disturb the Friends, 
who were gathered for worship in their meeting-house, and 
went on with their religious exercises as if nothing out of 
the usual course was taking place. The quarrel with the 
governor continued until 1709, when AVilliam Penn felt it 
necessary to remove him and appoint another in his place. 

The Quarrel ended. — The war continued, and the new 
governor demanded means of defence. War-ships of the 
enemy had appeared at the mouth of Delaware Bay, but 
the Indians were friendly and the assembly could not be 
moved from the policy of peace and good will held by 
AVilliam Penn and the Friends. No soldiers were provided, 
but two thousand pounds were voted for the use of the 
queen, to be raised by a tax on the people. This act re- 
stored harmony, and for a time the disputes between the 
governor and the assembly ceased. 


DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROVINCE. 


267 


Acts of the Law-Makers. — In 1712 the assembly passed 
an act seeking to put an end to the trade in slaves. Bills 
were also passed laying heavy duties on rurn, whiskey, and 
other spirits, tixing the value of coin, and establishing 
courts of justice. All these acts were declared of no effect 
by the English government, much to the displeasure of the 
colonists, who felt that they were being deprived of their 
rights and privileges. 

Other difficulties soon arose. Queen Anne died in 1714, 
and a new king, George I., was crowned. At once an old 
law was revived which forbade Quakers to give evidence 
in criminal cases, to serve on juries, or to hold any office of 
profit. An attempt was made to apply this to Pennsylvania, 
where all the offices were filled by people of that sect. A 
strong protest was made by the assembly, and a contest 
began which was kept up for ten years. At length, in 1725, 
the law was withdrawn so far as reo;arded Pennsvlvania, 
through an act passed by the assembly which was accepted 
by the king. 

A Friendly Governor. — The colonists were greatly pleased 
to have won this victory over their enemies. They were 
also much pleased with a new governor. Sir William Keith, 
who came to Philadelphia in 1717 and showed himself 
the friend of the people. For almost the first time since 
William Penn had gone home, the assembly, council, and 
governor ceased to quarrel with one another. 

Death of Penn. — In 1718 William Penn died. The news 
ot his death was received with deep sorrow in the province, 
and the Indians also showed grief at the loss of the “ great 
and good 0})asJ’ Mrs. Penn acted as proprietor for her 
sons, all of whom were under age, while Governor Keith 
continued at the head of affairs. Harmony prevailed in the 
government, the people devoted themselves to trade and to 


2G8 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


tlie improvemeDt of their farms, and for years all went 
happily on. ^ 

Increase of Population. — The province of Pennsylvania 
had now become the most popular and prosperous of the 
American colonies, and new immigrants came in such 
numbers, mostly from Germany, that the Friends became 
alarmed. They feared that Pennsylvania would have so 
many ‘‘ foreigners’’ that it would cease to be an English 
colony. Acts were passed to refuse these strangers the 
rights of citizens and to lay a special tax on them, and it 
was long before these unwise discriminations were removed. 

Benjamin Franklin. — In 1723, near the end of Governor 
Keith’s administration, Benjamin Franklin came from Bos- 
ton to Philadelphia. He was then a boy of seventeen, but 
Avas in the future to become the ablest and most useful citi- 
zen of his new place of residence. 

A New County formed. — There were still only three 
counties in the province. The farmers beyond the Cones- 
toga and along the Susquehanna were in Chester County, 
and had to go to the court-house at Chester, nearly a hun- 
dred miles away, for jury and other duties. On this ac- 
count a new county Avas formed in 1729, Avhich Avas named 
Lancaster. The toAvn of Lancaster Avas laid out in 1730. 
The people in this section Avere largely Germans, though 
there AA^ere also English, Scotch, Irish, and Welsh. Nearly 
all had been persecuted at home for their religious faith, 
and AA^ere strongly in faA^or of freedom of conscience in their 
neAV homes. Some alarm aauxs caused by the building of a 
Roman Catholic chapel in Philadelphia in 1733, but**the 
Catholics Avere not disturbed in their religious AA^orship. 

A Border War. — The dispute AA'hich had long existed • 
concerning the boundary line betAA^een Pennsylvania and 
Maryland led in 1736 to acts of Auolence. The Germans 


DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROVINCE. 


2G9 


who had taken up land beyond the Susquehanna at first 
believed that their farms were in Maryland. About this 
time they changed their opinion and declared themselves 
to be citizens of Penns^dvania. As a result the sheriff of 
Baltimore County marched with three hundred men to 
drive them out. But the sherifi* of Lancaster County 
called out a strong force to resist this invasion, and the 
Marylanders thought it wise to retire. 

Shortly afterwards a lawless band crossed the borders 
from Maryland with the purpose of driving away the Ger- 
mans and seizing their lands. The sheriff' of Lancaster 
met them with a force of citizens, and a sharp fight took 
place, one man being killed, and Thomas Cressap, the 
leader of the invaders, wounded and taken prisoner. 

The petty war was kept up for about a year, a number 
of Germans were seized and taken to Baltimore as hos- 
tages for Cressap, and citizens of both sides were wounded 
and captured in the conflicts that took place. Finally, in 

1737, an order came from the king that the governors 
should keep peace on the border until the boundary line 
had been fixed. 

The First Centennial. — The hundredth anniversary of 
the settlement of the Swedes on the Delaware came in 

1738. The colony of William Penn was then fifty-seven 
years old. It had more white inhabitants than any other 
province except Maryland, Virginia, and Massachusetts. 
Its capital city was next to Boston in population, and soon 
after became the 'laro;est in the colonies. The fertilitv of 
the soil, the mildness of the climate, the liberality of the 
law’s, had brought settlers in large numbers from various 
countries. The just treatment of the Indians had kept 
them friendly, and there were no fears of savage massacres. 
Peace and prosperity prevailed, and for years all w’ent w^ell 


270 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA, 


with Peimsylvaiiia and its people. The trade of Philadel- 
phia grew until its shipping amounted to six thousand tons, 
tlie produce of the farm, dairy, orchard, and forest being 
exported in large quantities. Thomas and John Penn, two 



OLD swedes’ church. 


of AVilliam’s sons, came to Pennsylvania in 1732, and were 
gladly welcomed by the people. John soon returned, but 
Thomas remained until 1741. 

The Walking* Purchase. — In 1737 a great fraud upon the 
Indians was consummate.d, which made many of them ene- 
mies of the whites. An old deed provided for a purchase 
of land from the tribes to be measured by a line starting 
at AV rightstown — a few miles back from the Delaware above . 
Trenton — and running northwest parallel with the river as 
far as a man could walk in a dav and a half. From the end 






DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROVINCE. 


271 


of the walk a line was to be drawn to the Delaware, the pur- 
chase to include all the land between these lines and the river. 

The Indians did not look for anything but an ordinary 
walk, but the governor had the line surveyed in advance 
and. the trees marked, so that the walkers could follow a 
straight line without losing time, and selected some of the 
best walkers in the province for the task. The Indians 
who came as watchers had to run to keep up with them, 
and near the end of the first day they withdrew in disgust, 
finding that they were being cheated. 

They understood that the Lehigh River would be the 
limit of the walk, but it extended thirty miles beyond that 
river, and the line drawn to the Delaware was not made 
direct, but was slanted upward for a long distance, so as to 
include the valuable Minisink country. It was this country 
that the governor was trying to secure. 

The Indians refused to leave the Minisink lands, and 
deputies from the Iroquois of New York, to whom they 
were vassals, were called in to make them leave. They 
did so when ordered by their conquerors, but from this 
time on they hated the English, and when the war with the 
French broke out they revenged themselves on the settlers. 
Hatred had made them warriors arain. This fraud was 
probably due to Thomas Penn, who was then in the coun- 
try, and who afterwards showed a grasping spirit in his 
dealings with the settlers.* 

* It is stated that this walking purchase was the completion of a purchase 
made by William Markham in 1682, providing for a tract extending as far 
as a man could walk in three days, the line to begin at the mouth of the 
Neshaminy and extend northwestward. It is said that Penn, with some of 
his friends and a number of chiefs, began this walk, and continued it leisurely 
for a day and a half, proceeding for a distance of about thirty miles, when 
Penn stopped, saying that he had all the land he then wanted. At its com- 
pletion in 1737 the walk covered eighty-six miles. 


272 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA, 


Threats of War. — The peaceful condition of the province 
came to an end in 1789. War was declared between Ena:- 
land and Spain, and the colonies were required to put 
themselves in a state of defence. Governor Thomas, who 
had been appointed in 1738, was ignorant of the kind of 
people lie had to deal with, and ordered them to prepare 
for possible war. The Friends, who formed the majority 
of the assembly, refused, and a bitter dispute arose betAveen 
the governor and the legislators. Finally the governor 
asked for money instead of soldiers, and this was at once 
granted. 

The Redemptioners. — Governor Thomas now organized 
seven companies of militia. Among his recruits were many 

• r 

of those known as “ Redemptioners,” — poor persons whose 
passage across the ocean had been paid for them, and Avho 
had agreed to work a certain number of years for their 
benefactors. Those who enlisted did so under promise of 
being set free from these labor contracts. 

The assembly asked the governor to pay the farmers 
Avho had in this Avay lost their servants for the time still 
due. This he unjustly refused to do. The result Avas one 
of the most violent party contests ever knoAvn in Pennsyl- 
A^ania. 

Political Disputes. — Tavo parties arose, one taking the 
side of the goA^ernor, the other that of the assembly. The 
governor refused to approA^e the bills passed by the assem- 
bly, Avhich, in return, refused to order the payment of his 
salary. Finally the quarrel became so severe that the as- 
sembly adjourned Avithout haAung passed any of the neces- 
sarA^ l)ills. Governor Thomas then, in reA^en£:e, remoA^ed 
from office all the judges, sheriffs, etc., Avho Avere on the side 
of his opponents. 

The Parties. — The term of service of the members of 


DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROVINCE. 


the assembly had expired, and a new election was ordered. 
A bitter contest was expected. The Gentlemen’s party,” 
which supported the governor, had its chief strength in the 
city. The other, which was strongest in the country, was 
known as the Quaker, or Country party.” Both parties 
tried to win the favor of the Germans, who formed an 
important section of the farming population near the city. 

The Election Riot. — On the morning of October 1, 1739, 
members of both parties gathered about the polls, which 
were opened for the whole city and county of Philadelphia 
at the court-house on Market Street. The farming people 
were present in force, and were evidently on the side of the 
assembly. On the other side appeared a gang of sailors 
from the ships in the harbor, who had been engaged by the 
governor’s party to drive their opponents from the polls. 

A disgraceful riot now took place. The sailors marched 
through the streets and attacked the country-people with 
clubs, knocking down all who did not run away. Even 
the magistrates who tried to check the riot were attacked. 
This done, the sailors went av»^ay, but they came back as 
soon as the polls were opened, stationed themselves on the 
stairs leading to the ballot-box, and drove away all of the 
other party who came to vote. 

This did not last long. Though the Friends would not 
fight, the German farmers soon got tired of being knocked 
down, seized what weapons they could find, and made a 
fierce attack upon the sailors, whom they drove from the 
stairs. Fifty of them were captured and put in jail. The 
others fled to their ships, and took care not to show them- 
selves in the streets again that day. 

End of the Quarrel. — Thus ended the first election riot 
in Pennsylvania. At the polls the Country party won, and 
the members of the old assernblv were re-elected. Gover- 


274 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


Qor Thomas, lindiiig himself defeated, ottered a compro- 
mise, which was accepted. The masters were paid for the 
loss of their servants, and the assembly voted a donation of 
about six thousand pounds towards the expenses of the war. 

The Militia called Out. — In 1744 a new war broke out, 
this time with the French. Benjamin Franklin wrote and 
published a pamphlet called Plain Truth,’’ in which he 
showed the need of union and discipline. Tlie governor 
commanded all able-bodied men to provide arms and train 
as militia, and in a short time ten thousand men were or- 
ganized and armed. Franklin was chosen as colonel of 
the Philadelphia regiment, but declined the honor, as he 
thought that he would be of more use as a private citizen. 

Other Measures for Defence. — In order to provide funds 
to build a battery below the city Franklin devised a let- 
ter v, for which he obtained contributions from manv of the 
Friends, who, while not willing to fight, did not object to 
measures of self-defence. The Indians on the border had 
been roused to anger by the acts of traders, who made them 
drunk and then cheated them out of the true value of their 
furs. They also remembered how they had been wronged 
in the walking purchase, and showed signs of hostility, 
but they were quieted by the efforts of the governors of 
Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, who gave them valu- 
able presents and promised them protection. 

The king had determined on an invasion of Canada, and 
the colonies were called upon for aid. The Pennsylvania 
assembly voted five thousand pounds, with which two com- 
panies were organized and sent to Albany, where they w6re 
kept guarding the frontier for a year and a half. Peace was 
signed in 1748. 

New Counties. — Up to 1749 there were but four coun« 
ties in Pennsylvania, Lancaster County including all the 


DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROVINCE. 


275 


western part of the province. But there was now a consid- 
erable population west of the Susquehanna, made up of 
English, Germans, and Scotch-Irish people, and in 1749 a 
new county, named York, was formed. In 1750 Cumber- 
land County was laid out, and from that time on new coun- 
ties Avere added with some frequency as the population 
increased. 

Captain Jack. — In Cumberland County dwelt a noted 
character called Captain Jack, the “wild hunter of the 
Juniata.’^ His family had been murdered by Indians, after 
Avhich he lived in a cave and devoted himself to revenge 
upon the savages. In time he formed a band of hunters, 
Avho spent their time in protecting the frontier. He offered 
the services of his band to General Braddock, saying that 
they were “ regardless of heat and cold. They require no 
shelter for the night ; they ask no pay.’^ 

New Settlements. — The town of Easton was laid out 
about 1738, York in 1741, Reading in 1748, and Carlisle 
about 1750. The Christian Indian settlements of Nazareth 
and Bethlehem were established about 1740, under the care 
of Moravian missionaries. Settlements were extending 
widely over the west and north, folloAving the river valleys, 
in which the pioneers often took possession of Indian lands 
which had not yet been purchased. This, added to the 
other acts of deceit we have named, went far to break the 
good relations which had so far existed with the natives. 

Indian Councils. — Councils Avith the Indians were often 
held, in Avhich their faA^or was obtained by A^aluable presents. 
Easton became a common place for these councils after 
1754, there being sometimes present from tAvo hundred to 
ti\"e hundred chiefs and many of the leading men of the 
province. Frequent complaftits were made by the natwes, in 
order that they might have neAv councils and new presents, 


276 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


and this in time became so expensive that the people asked 
the proprietors to share part of the cost. The Penns refused 
and a strong party grew up against them, Benjamin Frank- 
lin being one of their opponents. It is well to state at this 
point that the sons of William Penn were not Friends like 
their father, but had joined the Church of England. 

111.— WAV WITH THE FEENCH AND INDIANS. 

In 1754 war broke out between the French and English 
colonists in America. The general events of that war in 
Pennsylvania are described on pages 102 to 107 of the pre- 
ceding ‘^History of the United States.” Here we need to 
speak only of some particular events. 

Franklin’s Services. — Benjamin Franklin took an active 
part in the war. In 1754 he drew up a plan for a union of 
the colonies. This was ottered to a convention at Albany, 
but was not accepted by the country or the king. When 
General Braddock came to America with his troops there 
was much surprise that he did not land at Philadelphia. 
In Virginia he was able to obtain only twenty-five wagons, 
but Franklin told him that Pennsylvania would supply him 
with all he needed, and in less than two weeks he had 
ready for him one hundred and fifty wagons and two hun- 
dred and fifty horses. In paying for these he gave two 
(hundred pounds of his own money, and gave his bond to 
pay the full value of any horses that might be lost. The 
farmers did not care to trust the British general, but were 
quite ready to trust Franklin. 

The Indian Raids. — The defeat of Braddock that followed 
was a serious event for the frontier settlers. No sooner had 
the army retreated than the savage allies of the French 
attacked the farmers in the border settlements. Many of 
them were killed, others taken prisoners, their cattle and 


WAR WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS, 


277 


grain taken away or destroyed, their dwellings burned. 
^Several thriving settlements were ruined, and in some places 
the whole country was laid waste. 

Political Quarrels. — This terrible state of affairs was 
partly due to a quarrel between the governor and the 
assembly. The governor would not sign the bill to provide 
money for the defence of the colonies, because it laid a 
share of the tax on the land of the proprietaries. For 
weeks they kept up the quarrel, while the savage foe was 
murdering the inhabitants. 

The people at length grew so indignant that a body of 
about four hundred Germans marched into Philadelphia 
and demanded that the assembly and the governor should 
act at once for the public relief. About the same time the 
proprietaries sent an order that five thousand pounds should 
be appropriated on their account to the use of the colony. 
This stopped the quarrel for the time, a liberal sum being 
voted by the assembly and a bill passed for the enlistment 
of soldiers. 

Franklin on the Frontier. — The o;overnor asked Franklin 
to take charge of the protection of the frontier, and he at 
once went to work for that purpose. There were no expe^ 
rienced military men in Pennsylvania, but it was thought 
that Franklin could do everything well. Five hundred 
men were collected at Bethlehem, where the Moravians 
built a strong stockade and gathered a supply of arms. 
They even carried stones into their houses for the women 
(o throw upon the heads of enemies. A military post ^vas 
built farther up the Lehigh, and in the freezing January 
weather Franklin began to erect forts and block-houses 
along the Kittatinny Mountains. This chain of forts, be- 
ginning on the Delaware, was drawn during 1756 around 
the edge of the settled country towards the border of Mary- 


273 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


land. It was not of much use in keeping back the enemy, 
who slipped between the forts and massacred people fifty 
miles within their line. 

Franklin was engaged about two months in this service, 
when he gave up his command to Colonel Clapham, a I7ew 
England ofiicer, who knew the art of fighting Indians, and 
returned to Philadelphia, where he was elected colonel of a 
new regiment. 

The Friends seek Peace. — While the Indian massacres 
were going on, the leading Friends were seeking to restore 
peace with the natives. Some friendly Indians were sent 
to the hostile tribes to tell them that the brethren of Penn, 
their great friend, were anxious that they should live to- 
gether in peace and harmony as of old. This many of the 
Delawares and Shawanese* agreed to, and peace was estab- 
lished with them. 

The Hostile Indians. — But some of the chiefs of the Dela- 
wares were bitterly hostile, and would not join their tribe 
in its treaty of peace with the whites. They took part with 
the western Indians, who were under the influence of the 
French, and were stirred up by them to deeds of blood- 
shed. From their station at Kittanning, on the Alleghany 
River, these Indians destroyed settlements numbering many 
thousand inhabitants, the people being killed, captured, or 
driven across the Susquehanna. 

The Assault on Kittanning*. — Governor Morris deter- 
mined to destroy this Indian village, and sent against it a 
force of three hundred men, under Colonel Armstrong. 
They succeeded in approaching the village without being 
observed, and came within sight of it on the morning of 


* Shawanese Indians from Carolina had settled along the Susquehanna in 
1698. 


WAR WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS. 


279 


September 8, 1756. The warriors had been engaged in a 
war-dance, and many of them had lain down to sleep in a 
cornfield near by. They were suddenly aroused by rifle- 
shots, by which part of them were killed and the rest put 
to flight. 

The village was next attacked, and here the natives de- 
fended themselves desperately, firing upon their assailants 
from the shelter of their wigwams. Colonel Armstrong 
ordered his men to set fire to these, and the village was 
soon in a sheet of flame, while the powder-barrels in the 
wigwams frequently exploded, throwing the bodies of their 
defenders into the air. Soon the village was in ashes and all 
that lived of its defenders were in full flight. This severe 
lesson put an end for a considerable time to the Indian 
raids, and many of the settlers returned to their farms. 

March of General Forbes. — The end of the war in Penn- 
sylvania came in 1758, General Forbes being sent against 
Fort Duquesne with an army of about eight thou sand" men. 
Colonel Bouquet led the advance, and sustained a fierce 
attack from the French and Indians. But they had not 

now a Braddock to deal with, and were driven back with 
great loss. 

General Forbes, however, marched so slowly, wasting 
time in cutting new roads through the mountain passes, 
that winter was close at hand before he came near the fort, 
and he would have given up the expedition had not Wash- 
ington, who was with him, induced him to go on. Some 
scouts who had been captured had revealed the fact that the 
fort was poorly defended, and Washington pushed forward 
rapidly with his regiment, reaching it on JTovember 25. 

He found that the French had set it on fire and fled down 
the Ohio. 

Building of Fort Pitt. — Orders were given to rebuild the 


280 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


fort and make it stronger than before. It was named Fort 
Pitt, after the great English statesman who had managed 
the war during its later years. The city of Pittsburg after- 
wards arose at the locality, and in time became the second 
city in population and manufactures in the State. 

Franklin Serves the People. — In 1756 a new governor, 
William Denny, was sent to Pennsylvania. The assembly 
was glad to get rid of Governor Morris, but soon found 
Governor Denny as hard to deal with. In fact, the gov- 
ernors were only agents for the Penns, and could not act as 
they wished. Denny had orders to veto all laws to tax the es- 
tates of the proprietaries or in any way to reduce their power 
and privileges. His effort to carry out these orders soon 
brought on the old quarrel, and in 1758 Franklin was sent 
to London as the agent of the people. After much trouble 
he succeeded in showing the king’s ministers the true state 
of affairs, and had a bill passed allowing the taxation of the 
estates of the Penns and confirming all that the assembly 
claimed to be the just rights of the people of the province. 

The Pontiac War. — For a brief period after the building 
of Fort Pitt the country was at peace and the Indians were 
quiet. But in 1763 a new war broke out under the Indian 
chief Pontiac. The frontiers of Pennsylvania were again 
wasted with fire and sword, several forts were taken and 
their garrisons murdered, and the greatest suffering pre- 
vailed. Fort Pitt was besieged by a host of savages, who 
cut it off from the settlements. 

Colonel Bouquet’s Victory. — Troops were soon in the 
field and marching to the west. Colonel Armstrong, the 
hero of Kittanning, again attacked and destroyed an Indian 
village. But the decisive battle of the war was fought by 
Colonel Bouquet, who was attacked by the savages while on 
his way to relieve Fort Pitt. 


WAR WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS. 


281 


His road led through a narrow and dangerous ravine, sev- 
eral miles long. Tiiis he proposed to pass in the night, but 
just before reaching it he was met by a large body of In- 
dians and a desperate struggle began. The savages had 
left Fort Pitt for the attack, hoping to rejDeat their experi- 
ence with Braddock. U ntil sunset the soldiers fou2*ht arainst 
a concealed enemj^, and the next morning the assault was 
renewed. The soldiers, drawn up in a circle, defended 
themselves bravely, but they were suffering from thirst and 
were in imminent danger of defeat and destruction. 

Fortunately, the colonel was an old Indian fighter. Two 
of his companies were withdrawn from his small force and 
ordered to make a show of retreat. The Indians were de- 
ceived. Fancying that a real retreat had begun, they set 
up the yell of triumph, broke from the woods, and rushed 
upon the weakened line. Suddenly they were met with a 
sharp fire upon their flank. The retreating companies had 
wheeled round the circle of the troops and made a sharp 
attack. The Indians gave way, and as they fled were as- 
sailed by two other companies, who had slipped out from 
the other side of the circle. The whole force now rushed 
upon the enemy with such vigor as to scatter them in defeat 
through the woods. Fort Pitt was relieved, the savages not 
returning to the siege. 

The Lancaster Outrag’e. — A sad event soon after took 
place. There had been some murders in Lancaster County, 
and certain people fancied that these had been done by 
some Christian Indians near the town of Lancaster. The 
Indian settlement was attacked by a party calling them- 
selves Paxton Rangers, and the six people found there were 
brutally murdered. The people of Lancaster placed the 
others in the prison for safety, but the rangers rode into 
the town on Sunday morning, while the people were at 


282 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA, 


church, broke into the jail, and killed the Indians, fourteen 
in all. A proclamation was issued by the governor for the 
arrest of the murderers, but none of them were brought to 
justice, they being supported by public sentiment. 

The March upon Philadelphia. — In fact, a party of their 
sympathizers soon after broke into insurrection and marched 
upon Philavielphia, whither one hundred and forty Chris- 
tian Indians had been brought from the Moravian settle- 
ments for safetv. The alarmed authorities sent these In- 
dians to New York, but the governor of that province 
would not receive them, and the governor of New Jersey 
refused them a refuge in his province, so that they had to 
be brought back to Philadelphia. 

The backwoodsmen, who had set out in January, 1764, 
from five hundred to fifteen hundred strong, as variously 
estimated, at length reached Germantown, where they en- 
camped. They found the people of Philadelphia ready for 
them, and did not think it wise to venture further. The 
city was guarded by soldiers and artillery, and the quarters 
of the Indians were fortified with earthworks and cannon. 
Commissioners were sent to meet the invaders, Franklin 
among them, and they were easily induced to withdraw. 
Only one of their requests was granted, that a bounty 
should be offered for Indian scalps. This was not a very 
humane end to Penn’s Indian policy of good will. 

IV.— THE PEKIOD OF EEVOLUTION. 

The close of the war with the French and Indians was 
quickly followed by troubles with the British government, 
leading to war and independence. In these events, which 
affected the entire country, Pennsylvania took a promi- ‘ 
nent part. 

The Stamp Act. — As soon as news came of the passage 


THE PERIOD OF REVOLUTION. 


283 


of the Stamp Act, in 1765, the assembly passed resolutions 
declaring that none but their own representatives had the 
right to tax Americans, and making a strong protest against 
taxation by the British Parliament. On the 5th of October 
the stamps were brought in a ship to Philadelphia. At 
once all flags were put at half-mast, bells were mutfled, and 
the city seemed to go into mourning. Meetings were held 
at which business men resolved not to use stamps, and to do 
no business wdth England until the law should be repealed. 

The Stamp Act was to go into effect November 1, 1765. 
On the preceding day all the newspapers appeared with 
heavy black lines, as if in mourning, and no more papers 
were issued for tw^enty-one days. All the public offices 
were closed, and no business w^as done in them till the next 
May, when word came that the law was repealed. The loss 
of business had made it a costly experiment to Great 
Britain. 

Joy at the Repeal. — The news of the repeal was greeted 
with joy in Philadelphia. The city was illuminated, bon- 
fires were kindled, and a gold lace hat was presented to the 
captain of the vessel that brought the good tidings. The 
king’s birthday was celebrated by a public dinner on the 
banks of the Schuylkill. During this period John Penn, 
grandson of William Penn, was governor of Pennsylvania. 

The Tax on Tea. — The joy of the people did not last long. 
A tax was soon after laid by Parliament on tea, glass, paper, 
and some other articles.* But, as the people w^ould not use 


* It was at this time that John Dickinson, of Philadelphia, wrote his 
famous “ Farmer’s Letters,” which first awoke the people to the full mean- 
ing of the acts of Parliament. He professed to have a small farm on the 
Delaware, and to be content with his lot, though he feared that British tax- 
ation would soon affect his fortunes. He went on to tell his readers what a 
loss of their liberty would follow the tax on paper and glass, if they sub- 


284 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


these articles, all the taxes were removed in 1770, except 
a small one on tea. Ships laden with tea were sent to 
America, but no city would receive it. The ships which 
came to the Delaware were warned not to try to land their 
cargoes, and so returned to England. In Boston the tea 
was thrown overboard. 

First Continental Congress. — This treatment of his tea 
made King George so angry that he took steps which were 
sure to lead to war. Large meetings were held in Phila- 
delphia to sympathize with Boston, whose business the 
king had ruined,* * and a convention met July 15, 1774, 
which passed a resolution to call a congress of the colonies, 
declaring that the rights of the people were in danger. 
Other colonies took similar action, and the First Continental 
Congress met in Carpenters’ Hall, Philadelphia, September 
5, 1774.f 

Enlistments. — As soon as the news of the battle of Lex- 
ington reached Philadelphia, a meeting was held and steps 
were taken to enlist soldiers. It was not long before a 
large force was under arms. John Penn, the governor, 
lost his authority, a Committee of Safety” being appointed 
bv the assemblv to control all public affairs. 

Friends and Mennonites. — The authorities had a delicate 


mitted to it. Some years afterwards (in 1775) another stirring work came 
from Philadelphia, Thomas Paine’s “ Common Sense,” which went far to 
convert the people’s minds from insurrection to revolution. These were the 
two great appeals to the people of the Revolutionary period. 

* In May, 1774, Paul Revere rode from Boston to Philadelphia, ^pnt 
thither hy the leaders to persuade the Pennsylvanians to take part in the 
resistance to British oppression. He was well received, and returned with 
messages of encouragement. 

f Por the acts of this Congress, and of the Second Continental Congress, 
which met in the State House at Philadelphia, May 10, 1775, see pages 121, 
127, and 129 of the preceding “ History of the United States.” 


THE PERIOD OE REVOLUTION. 


285 


task to perform. Both the Friends and the German Men- 
nonites were forbidden by their religion to bear arms. The 
Mennonites were willing to pay taxes “to feed the hungry 
and give the thirsty drink/’ but the Friends said that they 
could not do anything in aid of war. They were, however, 
induced to contribute money for the public defence. 

Pennsylvania a State. — In July, 1776, a convention was 
held which declared Pennsylvania to be free from the power 
ot kings and proprietors and to be an independent State. 
At that time it had a population of over three hundred 
thousand, of whom more than ten thousand were in the 
field as soldiers, while every county had its militia force. 
There was a navy of fifteen ships and a number of smaller 
vessels. The iron foundries of the State were casting can- 
non and balls for the army, and forts and floating batteries 
were provided for the defence of the capital city of the new 
com m on wealth . 

Washington’s Retreat. — The war, which began at Boston 
and then came to Hew York, reached Pennsylvania in 
December, 1776, when Washington’s small army crossed 
the Delaware and stationed itself along the river to protect 
the State from the enemy. There were less than three 
thousand men in the army ; they were suffering from cold 
and hunger ; all hope was gone ; Congress left hastily for 
Baltimore, in fear that Philadelphia would be taken ; the 
revolution was at its lowest ebb. 

Aid to the Army. — But the people of Pennsylvania came 
nobly to Washington’s aid. The farmers brought* food, the 
townsmen brought clothing and medicines to the camp. 
Fifteen hundred men joined the army, making it strong 
enough for Washington’s great Christmas night exploit, 
when he crossed the Delaware and captured the British 
force at Trenton. 


286 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA, 


Pennsylvania Invaded.— The invasion of Pennsylvania, 
thus averted, took place in 1777, when the British army 
was transported on ships from ^7ew York to Chesapeake 
Bay, landed at Elkton, Maryland, and marched north with 
the purpose of capturing Philadelphia. Washington tried 
to stop the march of the British, and a severe battle was 
fought on Brandywine Creek, but the enemy was too 
strong, and the patriot army was defeated. 

Movements of the Armies. — The army retreated, a part 
of it resting at Chester for the night, the main body crossing 
the Schuylkill and camping at Germantown. The British 
established their camp at Village Green, in Delaware County, 
the farms and houses of that fertile district being widely 
plundered. 

Four days after the battle of Brandywine, Washington 
left his camp and marched towards the enemy. He pro- 
posed to fight another battle for the safety of Philadelphia. 
On the morning of September 16 the two armies faced each 
other. The skirmishers had begun firing, when there came 
up a violent storm of rain, so wetting the powder of the 
soldiers that it could not be used. Washington was there- 
fore obliged to withdraw. 

The Surprise at Paoli. — On the 20th, General Wayne, 
who was encamped at Paoli, was attacked at night by a 
strong force of British led by Tories of the neighborhood. 
After a desperate fight, Wayne managed to withdraw his 
men, though with a loss of about two hundred. This 
event was afterwards known as the Massacre of Paoli.’’ 
A monument now marks the battle-field. 

On September 23 the British army crossed the Schuylkill 
at Swedes’ Ford, having deceived Washington by a pretence' 
of crossing higher up. On the 25th it marched to German- 
town, and entered Philadelphia on the 26th. Congress had 


THE PERIOD OF REVOLUTION. 


287 


again left, this time for Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where a 
one-day session was held September 27. An extended 
session began at York, Pennsylvania, September 30. 

The Defence of the Delaware. — The British found it no 
easy matter to get their tleet up the Delaware to Philadel- 
phia. The Americans held Fort Mifflin on the Pennsylvania 
side and Fort Mercer on the Yew Jersey side, and it took 
the enemy two months to capture these forts. Fort Mercer 
was assaulted by a strong force of Hessian soldiers on 
October 22, but they were driven away with heavy loss. 
At the same time the war-vessels in the river tired on the 
forts, but they were attacked and defeated by the little 
Pennsylvania fleet. 

The Forts evacuated. — Finally the British general sur- 
rounded the forts with batteries of cannon, which tired 
upon them day and night. Yet the brave garrisons kept 
up the defence for nearly a month longer. Then, the forts 
being in ruins, they escaped with their cannon and stores. 
The little fleet was lost in an attempt to saiDup past the 
city, and the British ships at length reached the wharves. 

The Battle of the Keg*s. — An amusing incident followed 
the success of the British fleet. On the 7th of January, 
1778, a number of kegs were seen floating on the river past 
the citv. The British watched them with alarm, thinking: 
that the Americans had devised a plot to blow up their 
ships. They imagined that the kegs were tilled with pow- 
der, to be in some way exploded if they should touch a 
ship. So the guns were turned on them, and the innocent 
kegs were battered with cannon-balls. Francis Ilopkinson, 
a poet of that time, wrote a humorous ballad upon this inci- 
dent, calling it The Battle of the Kegs.” 

Germantown and Whitemarsh. — The Americans were as 
active on land as on the water. On October 4 Washington’s 


288 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA, 


army attacked the British in their camp at Germantown. 
The enemy was taken by surprise, and probably would 
have been defeated but for a fog that interfered with the 
American movements. On December 4 General Howe 
similarly tried to take AVashington by surprise in his camp 
at Whitemarsh. But the Americans had been secretly 
warned and were ready for them, and the British marclied 
back without tiring a shot. It is said that a woman named 
Lydia Darrach had heard the British officers talking of their 
plans and had managed to carry the news to the Americans. 

Valley Forge. — On December 11 the American army 
went into winter quarters at Valley Forge. It was a terrible 
winter the soldiers spent there. The cold was severe ; the 
men had little clothing, and many of them had no shoes: 
food was very scarce ; numbers of them died ; Washington 
did all he could for them, but he had much to contend 
with. A Quaker one day saw the general on his knees in 
the woods praying to God for help. On going home lie 
said to his wife, If there is any one man on earth to 
Avhoni the Lord will listen, it is George AVashington.’’ 

The British in Philadelphia. — Aleanwhile, the British 
were passing a pleasant winter in Philadelphia, enjoying 
theatrical entertainments, feasts, and other pleasures. In 
Alay, 1778, they gave a grand fete to General Howe, who 
had been superseded by Sir Henry Clinton. It was called 
the Meschianza, or ‘‘ medley,’’ and w^as made up of a showy 
river procession, a tournament, fireworks, and a banquet. 
In the midst of it Captain AIcLane, a dashing cavalry 
officer in Washington’s army, crept with his men up to the 
British redoubts, covered everything they could with tar, 
and set fire to it. A frightful uproar followed in the city, 
drums were beat and cannoii roared, but the unwelcome 
visitors all escaped to boast of their exploit. 


THE PERIOD OF REVOLUTION. 


289 


Lafayette attacked. — On the next day a strong British 
force left the city, in the hope of surprising Lafayette, who 
was encamped on Barren Hill, above Germantown. They 
expected to surround and cut him off*, but he discovered 
them in time and slipped away, leaving the disgusted British 
only an empty camp. 

Aid from the French. — About the same time welcome 
news came to Washington’s army. Benjamin Franklin had 
induced the King of France to recognize the independence of 
the American States and to send a ffeet and an armv to their 

t,' 

aid. The news of this gave the British as much fear as it 
gave joy to the Americans. General Howe was afraid of 
being blockaded in the Delaware by a French ffeet, and 
sent his own ships hastily to Kew York. On the 18th of 
June the British army left Philadelphia, to the great joy of 
all patriotic citizens, and started on a march to JSTew York. 
Washington at once broke camp and followed, bringing 
the enemy to battle at Monmouth, Yew Jersey. Thus 
ended the invasion of Pennsylvania. 

The Stars and Stripes. — At tliis point it may be weW to 
say something about the United States flag. Flags of sev- 
eral kinds were used in the opening years of the w^ar, but 
the Star-Spangled Banner” came into existence in Phila- 
delphia in 1777. A resolution was offered in Congress on 
June 14 to the effect that the flag should have thirteen 
stripes, alternately red and white, and tlie union thirteen 
white stars in a blue field. The number thirteen indicated 
the thirteen original States. The first flag was made under 
the direction of Washington, aided by a committee of 
Congress, by Mrs. Betsy Ross, at her house. No. 239 Arch 
Street, Philadelphia. This house has become a place of 
pilgrimage for Philadelphia school-children on Flag Day,” 
June 15, and has been purchased for future })reservation. 


290 


HISTORY OF PEFNSYLVANTA. 


The Settlement of Wyoming*. — In the year 1778 a dread- 
ful event took place in the beautiful valley of Wyoming, in 
Northeastern Pennsylvania. This valley was first visited in 
1742 by Count Zinzendorf, a Moravian missionary from Ger- 
many. In 1762 a settlement was made there of people from 
Connecticut, who claimed that it belonged to that colony ; 
but the Indians broke up the settlement, and the people had 
to llee for their lives. 

In 1769 it was settled by Pennsylvanians. Other people 
soon came from Connecticut, and disputes began, followed 
by fights, in which a number of persons were killed. 
This strife was kept up until the war of the Revolution, 
when the people had to join hands against a new enemy. 
In 1776 there were about five thousand people in the 
vallev. 

Wyoming Invaded. — In the summer of 1778 a party of 
British, Indians, and Tories, under Colonel John Butler, 
invaded the valley. Many of its fighting-men were in the 
army, but a small force was hastily raised and marched 
against the enemy. The invaders proved too strong: the 
patriot army was defeated, and many of the fugitives were 
killed by the Indians. 

Two days afterwards, July 5, the fort, to which many of 
the people had fled, was surrendered, on promise of protec- 
tion. Little protection was given. The Indians swarmed 
through the valley, burning and murdering, and the people 
were forced to flee to the forests and marshes, where many 
of them perished. 

The Indians Punished. — The massacre at Wyoming -was 
followed by Indian raids elsewhere in the northern part of 
the State. These kept up till August, 1779, when General * 
Sullivan marched with a strong force into the Indian coun- 
try, destroyed the villages and stores of food, and punished 


THE FERIOD OF REVOLUTION. 


291 


the savages so severely that they were obliged to cease their 
raids. 

March to Yorktown. — The massacre was the last event 
of the war in Pennsylvania. In 1781 the American and 
French armies marched through Philadelphia on their way 
to Yorktown, Virginia, where the surrender of General 
Cornwallis brought the long and terrible struggle to an 
end. 

The Revolt of the Soldiers. — The close of the war filled 
the people with joy, but the soldiers were suffering for food 
and clothing, and had long been without pay. Congress 
made promises, but did nothing, and on the 1st of January, 
1782, a body of Pennsylvania troops left the camp at Morris- 
town, New Jersey, to march to Philadelphia and demand 
justice from their Representatives. 

General Wayne, their commander, hurried after them, 
and tried to persuade them to return to camp. In the end 
he drew his pistol and threatened to shoot the leaders if 
they did not turn back. The men at once raised their mus- 
kets, telling him that they loved and respected him, but 
tliat if he fired his pistol they would kill him. 

How the Pennsylvanians Acted. — They showed him their 
ragged clothing, told him of their sufferings for food, and 
insisted on going to demand justice from Congress. As 
they would not turn back, Wayne went with them. At 
Princeton they were inet by a committee of Congress, who 
promised that their demands should be granted. Those 
whose time was up were allowed to go home ; the others 
went back to camp. Tlie British commander at New York, 
hearing of this revolt, sent secret agents to the soldiers to 
induce them to desert. He did not know the Pennsylvanians. 
They seized the agents and handed them over to General 
Wayne, by whom they were tried and hung as spies. 


292 


msrORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


V.— THE GKOWTH OF THE STATPl 

The Constitutional Convention. — Philadelphia, then the 
largest city in the country, and the capital not only of Penn- 
sylvania but of the United States, became the scene of a 
very important event in the period following the war. A 
convention met there in 1787 to adopt a new system of 
government and form a constitution for the United States. 
This convention was held in the State-House, now known 
as Independence Hall; Washington was its president, and 
its members included Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, 
and other eminent citizens of the State. 

Philadelphia the National Capital. — The story of the 
Constitution belongs to the history of the United States. 
It will suffice to say here that Philadelphia continued to be 
the capital of the country from 1774 to 1789, and again, 
under the new constitution, from 1790 to 1800, when the 
capital was removed to Washington, District of Columbia. 

Pennsylvania a State. — Benjamin Franklin was presi- 
dent of the convention which met on July 15, 177G, and 
declared Pennsylvania a State. On the 26th of September 
the old Assembly of the province, which had existed nearly 
a hundred }^ears, ceased to meet, and the authority of the 
Penns* came to an end. Two days afterwards the new con- 


* The loss of political control by the Penns did not affect their title to their 
landed estate in Pennsylvania, though the most of this was afterwards con- 
fiscated. Though William Penn obtained little money from his province, and 
had to go to prison for debt, it became very valuable to his sons and grandsons, 
who lived in affluence on the product of their quit-rents and their sales of land. 
It is estimated that their property in Pennsylvania in 1759 was worth four 
million pounds and yielded an annual income of ten thousand pounds. This 
sum at that time had about four times the value it would have now. In 1779, 
during the Revolution, the Pennsylvania Assembly gave the Penns one hun- 
dred and thirty thousand pounds in payment for their confiscated lands, and 
expressed their regret that they could not give more. The heirs retained all 


THE GROWTH OF THE STATE. 


293 


stitution was signed, and the new government of Pennsyl- 
vania began. 

The State Constitution. — Under the constitution an As- 
sembly of Delegates made the laws and a Supreme Execu- 
tive Council administered them. The President of the 
Council was the chief magistrate of the State. A second 
convention was held in 1790 and a revised constitution was 
adopted. This constitution was based on that of the United 
States. It provided for two law-making bodies, — a Senate 
and a House of Representatives. A Governor took the place 
of the President of the Supreme Council. The first governor 
was Thomas Mifflin. The new government came into exist- 
ence on December 21, 1790. 

The State Capital. — In 1799 the seat of government of 
the State was removed from Philadelphia to Lancaster, as 
a more central place. But as the western section of the 
State grew more populous, Lancaster ceased to be central, 
and in 1812 Harrisburg was chosen as the State capital. 
The building of a State-house began there in 1819, and was 
completed in 1821. 

Purchases of Land. — And now, having spoken of these 
political changes, we must say something about the settle- 
ment of the State. It must not be supposed that the people 
took possession of the land just as they pleased, without re- 
gard to the rights of the Indians. We have told the story 
of the walking purchase ” made in 1737. Five other pur- 
chases of land were made by the Penns, the last and great- 
est being in 1768. In 1785 a purchase was made by the 


their manors and some private estates and quit-rents, and some of these are 
still held by the family. The British government gave them to repay their 
losses in the Revolution an annuity of four thousand pounds a year, which 
was commuted in 1884 by a grant of sixty -seven thousand pounds. 


294 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


State authorities which put an end to all Indian claims and 
gave the whole State to the whites. 

A Lake Port. — But Pennsylvania had no access to Lake 
Erie, from which it was cut off by a small tract of land, of 
triangular shape, belonging to the United States. This was 
bought by the State in 1788. It gave Pennsylvania a valu- 
able lake harbor, now the city of Erie. The State, as 
thus completed, is 302 miles 104 perches in its greatest 
length, 175 miles 192 perches in its greatest width. Its 
average length is 280.39 miles ; average width, 158.05 
miles. 

The Perils of the Settlers. — The settlements were steadily 
pushed farther and farther west, large counties being first 
formed, which in time were broken up into smaller coun- 
ties. After the outbreak of war with the French the set- 
tlers were always in danger from the Indians. Each little 
community had its central fort, to which the people ran for 
safety whenever the savages appeared. The farmer went 
to his work with his musket swung at his side. The me- 
chanic kept his rifle within reach of his hand. When a 
party of men met for any purpose, they stacked their arms 
within easy reach and placed a sentinel to watch for danger. 
Men were often obliged to fight their dusky foes as they ran 
in haste to the fort, perhaps with their wives and children 
before them. 

The Attack on Rice’s Port. — In 1782 one of these little 
settlements, on Buffalo Creek, was attacked by a party of 
Indians who had been defeated in an assault on Wheeling, 
Virginia. In the settlement was a block -house called Rice’s 
Fort. The people, warned just in time of the danger, fled in 
haste to this stronghold, and were not long there before the • 
savages burst with war-whoops from the woods, expecting 
to take the fort b}^ storm. There were only six men within, 


THE GROWTH OF THE STATE, 


295 


but they were skilful riflemen, and soon drove their foes to 
the shelter of trees and logs. 

For nearly four hours the fight was kept up. The savages 
cried, “ Give up ; too many Indian ; Indian too big. No 
kill.’’ But the frontiersmen did not trust their treacherous 
enemies. One of them was killed, but the remaining five 
continued to fight against more than a hundred foes. 
Finally, hearing the approach of reinforcements, the sav- 
ages fled, after burning the dwellings and killing all the 
cattle, sheep, and hogs of the inhabitants. 

The Wedding* Party. — Many other stories of the perils 
of the settlers might be told. In one instance a wedding 
party was attacked by the savages when at the height of 
its enjoyment. The bride and groom and nearly all the 
others were taken prisoners, loaded with the plunder of the 
savages, and carried off into a cruel captivity. 

The people living near by fled to the nearest settlement. 
One man who had his aged mother and a child to save was 
pursued so closely that he had to desert the child in order 
to save his mother. On his return the next dav, to his 
heartfelt joy the child was found asleep in its bed, the only 
being left alive l)y the savage foe. 

A Western Industry. — There was one difficulty which 
the Western settlers had to meet. They raised more grain 
than they needed for food. There were then no railroads 
nor canals, and they had no easy way to send this grain to 
the towns of the East, while there was little demand for it 
in the West. As it was not needed for food, they made 
whiskey from it, great quantities of corn and rye being thus 
used. It was easier to carry the whiskey to market than 
the grain, for a small quantity of whiskey represented 
many bushels of grain. 

The Whiskey War. — In 1790 Congress laid a tax on all 


29(3 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA, 


distilled spirits. This law was violently opposed by the 
people of Western Pennsylvania, who declared that they 
would not pay the tax. Meetings were held, the officers of 
the law were resisted, and the excitement in time grew so 
great that several persons were tarred and feathered and the 
lives of the officials were not safe. The government tried 
to quiet the people and induce them to obey the law, but in 
vain. 

At length, in 1794, President Washington was obliged to 
call out the militia of Pennsylvania and the neighboring 
States to put down the rebellion. Fifteen thousand men 
were gathered and marched across the mountains towards 
the locality of the revolt. The coming of the soldiers soon 
settled the difficulty. A few of the leaders were held for 
trial, but no one was punished, and the Whiskey War,’’ as 
it was called, came quietly to an end. 

New Markets. — It was not long before the farmers began 
to find a market for their grain in the West, while the great 
national highway known as the Cumberland Road, from 
Cumberland, Maryland, across the mountains to Wheeling, 
Virginia, which was begun in 1806, made a new avenue of 
transportation to the East. 

The Hot Water Rebellion. — The Whiskev War ” was 
the work of the excitable Scotch-Irish of Western Pennsyl- 
vania. Soon afterward the Germans in the east of the State 
became disturbed by a law laying a tax on houses. An 
outbreak took place, which was called the Hot Water Re- 
bellion,” from the fact that a woman poured hot water on 
an assessor who was measuring her house for taxation. An 
auctioneer named Fries was the leader in the disturbance, 
and in March, 1799, he made his way at the head of a 
hundred armed men to Bethlehem and set free some prison- 
ers who had been taken there. A force was now sent by the 


THE GROWTH OF THE STATE. 


297 


governor, and the revolt came to an end. Fries hid in a 
swamp, but was taken prisoner and condemned to death. 
He was pardoned by President Adams. 

Yellow Fever. — Pliiladelphia has at various times been 
the seat of violent epidemics of yellow fever. Tlie first of 
tliese was in 1G99. In 1762 the fever raged terribly in the 
city, and also with great violence in 1793 and 1797. In 
1793 Stephen Girard, the celebrated Philadelphia mer- 
chant, showed the greatest feeling for the sick, whom he 
nursed in the hospital at imminent risk to his own life. 
The new ideas about cleanliness and the sanitary methods 
now in use have removed all danger of further outbreaks 
of this dreaded disease. 

Growth of Pittsburg*. — Fort Pitt, the strongest fort west 
of the Allegh allies, in time became a place for traders to 
meet and settlers to locate. A few log huts were first built ; 
then a small village grew up ; finally a city developed. The 
Penn familv owned the land about the forks of the rivers 
until 1784, when it was divided into lots and offered for 
sale. At that time Pittsburg was but a small place, trading 
by wagons and pack-horses with Baltimore and Philadel- 
phia. In 1786 its people numbered nearly five hundred, 
and the Pittsburg Gazette, the first newspaper west of the 
mountains, was started. 

Industries of Pittsburg* and Alleg*hany City. — In 18K) 
Pittsburg became a city. The borough of Alleghany, on 
the opposite side of the Alleghany Kiver, also in time was 
made a city, and the two, though still separate as cities, now 
form one great centre of trade and manufacture. In the 
production of iron and steel they have no equal in tlie 
country, while their trade, which soon became large, by 
wav of the Ohio, has been immensely extended bv the aid 
of canals and railroads. 


298 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA, 


The City of Erie. — In 1795, when the town of Erie, on 
the shore of Lake Erie, was laid out, there were only four 
families in what is now Erie County. This county was 
formed in 1800, having at that time nearly fifteen hundred 
inhabitants. Highways were laid out, one connecting with 
Pittsburg by way of the Alleghany River, and a large trade 
sprang up by the avenue of the roads and the lake. Iron- 
and glass-ware, flour and grain, salt, whiskey, and bacon, 
were some of the principal articles of trade. 

The Lakes in the War of 1812. — The town of Erie be- 


came a point of importance in 1812, after the second war 
with Great Britain began. The great lakes were at first in 
full possession of the enemy, and all the settlements along 
their shores were in danger. To change this state of affairs 
the government decided that a fleet should be built, and 
Erie was selected as the place of building. 

Building* a Fleet. — In the summer of 1812 a naval officer 
named Daniel Dobbins was sent to Erie with orders to 
build vessels, and by winter he had a small ffeet well under 
way. Captain Oliver H. Perry was sent there in March, 
1813, to command the fleet. He found much still to be done, 
and set to work with energy to do it. Trees were cut in 
the forest, and in a short time their timber formed part of 
ships. The iron for the vessels was brought from Pittsburg 
by boat and wagon, and cannon and balls were transported 
from tlie same place. 

Perry’s Victory.— In August the fleet was ready for 
action, and Perry set sail in searcli of the enemy. On the 
10th of September the two fleets met and fought, and,, by 
four o’clock in the afternoon every vessel in the British 
fleet had surrendered. Before sunset Perry sent to General 
Harrison his famous despatcli, AVo have met the enemy, 
and they are ours.” 


INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT. 


299 


Philadelphia defended. — Pennsylvania had little more to 
do in this war. British war-ships entered the Delaware 
and Chesapeake Ba}^s in the summer of 1814, and volun- 
teers were called out. Earthworks were thrown up on the 
roads leading to Philadelphia, and a large number of men 
were soon under arms. The enemy did not enter Pennsyl- 
vania, but several thousand men were kept in the camps 
along the Delaware until the close of the year, when all 
danger was at an end. 

Slavery in Pennsylvania. — AVe may conclude this re- 
view of political affairs by stating what was done on the 
subject of slavery., Negro slaves were kept in Pennsylvania 
from its origin until the close of the Revolution. This was 
against the wish of many of the people. The Friends and 
the German religious societies protested against tlie system, 
but it was kept up by British power until the war brought 
that power to an end. The trade in slaves was too valuable 
to the merchants of Great Britain to be given up. 

Abolition of Slavery. — A law was passed on March 1, 
1780, for the gradual abolition of slavery in Pennsylvania. 
The slaves then held were to continue such until their death, 
but all the children of slaves born after that date were to 
become free at the age of twenty-eight. The number of 
slaves soon began to decrease. In 1790 there were 3737 ; 
in 1810, 795 ; in 1830, 07. In the census of 1850 one name 
still remained on the roll. Those slaves who had grown old 
in bondage were content to end their lives in the service of 
their masters. 


VI.— INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT. 

Steamboat Inventors. — So far we have paid attention 
mainly to political matters. Now something needs to be 
said about the great industrial development of the State. 


;3oo 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


It is of interest to know that the first experiments with 
steamboats were made on the Delaware. John Fitch placed 
a small steamboat on this river in 1787, and in 1790 had a 
passenger-boat running on the river at the speed of seven 
miles an liour. Robert Fulton, who invented the first suc- 
cessful steamboat, was born in Pennsylvania, and Oliver 
Evans made himself famous by his experiments on steam- 
wagons, one of which, intended for a steam dredge, lie ran 
through the streets of Philadelphia many years before the 
davs of the railroad locomotive. 

Canals. — Pennsylvania was one of the first States to 
consider the making of canals. In 1760 a survev for a 
canal between the Delaware and Chesapeake Bays was 
ordered by tlie American Philosophical Society of Philadel- 
phia. About the same time the assembly of the province 
had a survev made for a canal from the Delaware River to 
Pittsburg and Erie, a distance of five hundred and eiglity- 
two miles. This canal project was strongly approved by 
the governor, but was beyond the power of the province to 
carry out. At that time Europe had no canal of such a 
length. Still earlier, in 1762, a survey for a canal from 
the Schuylkill to the Susquehanna had been made. This 
Avas the line afterwards followed by the Union Canal, begun 
in 1791 and completed in 1827. 

Various other canals were begun at a later date, the 
Scliuylkill in 1816, tlie Lehigh in 1818, tlie Conestoga in 
1825, and the Pennsvlvania in 1827. This last-named 
canal, Avliich stretched far across the State, and was in con- 
formity with the project entertained over fifty years before, 
was four hundred and twentv-six miles in tlie total length 
of its several sections. In 1840 there were twelve hundred 
and eighty miles of canal in the State. 

Railroads. — The progress of canals was checked by that 


INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT. 


mi 

of railroads, which began shortly before 1830. The first 
railroad constructed in this country was a short road with 
wooden rails, built in 1806 in a quarry near Chester, Penn- 
sylvania. In 1827 a railroad nine miles long was con- 
structed from Mauch Chunk to the coal-mines in its vicinity. 
The next railroad in the State was the Carbondale road, 
exteuding from the Delaware and Hudson Canal to the 
mines, and on this was placed in 1829 the first locomotive 
ever used in this country, the “ Stourbridge Lion,” imported 
from England. 

By the end of 1835 the railroads of Pennsylvania, mostly 
built to transport coal, were three hundred and eighteen 
miles in length. At that time there were but one thousand 
miles in the whole country. The Philadelphia and Colum- 
bia Railroad (eighty-two miles) and the Portage Railroad 
(thirty-six miles) were opened in 1834. These, with the 
canals, formed a continuous line extending from Philadel- 
phia to Pittsburg. This was superseded by the Pennsyl- 
vania Central Railroad, completed in 1854. By that date 
’ railroads were widely extended through the State. 

Anthracite Coal. — The early development of canals and 
railroads in Pennsylvania was due to its mines of coal and 
iron, and of these something must here be said. This State 
is remarkable for its great deposits of anthracite coal, which 
are far richer than any in Europe or elsewhere in America. 
This kind of coal, stone coal ” it has been called, is much 

harder than bituminous coal and not so easilv burned, so 

«/ ' 

that it took many years to bring it into general use. 

Coal Discoveries. — Anthracite coal was discovered in 
the Wyoming Valley in 1768, and was first used by two 
blacksmiths who had set up a forge in that region. The 
coal of the Lehigh region was found in 1791 by a hunter 
named Philip Ginter, who, while hunting on Bear Mountain, 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


^]()2 

nine miles west of Mauch Chunk, struck his foot against a 
black stone and saw other pieces of the same substance in 
the earth about the roots of a fallen tree. He had heard of 
tlie stone coal of Wyoming Valley, and took a piece of this 
home with him. It proved to be pure anthracite coal. In 
1703 the Lehigh Coal-Mine Company was formed, but it 
took years to bring its coal into use. 

Tlie Schuylkill coal was also discovered by a hunter. 
This man, Nicho Allen, camped one night in 1790 under a 
ledge of rocks, building his fire on some pieces of black 
stone which had fallen from above. He woke in the night 
and found them red-hot and burning. Five years after- 
wards the blacksmiths of that region were using this black 
rock in their furnaces. 

The Burning* of Coal. — In 1803 the Lehigh Coal-Mine 
Company sent some boat-loads of coal to Philadelphia. It 
was hard to find a purchaser, but the city at length bought 
it to use at the water-works. No one there knew how to 
l)urn it, and in the end it was broken up and spread on the 
public foot-walks. 

William Morris took a wagon-load of Schuylkill coal to 
riiiladelphia in 1810, but no one was willing to buy it. In 
1812 Colonel Shoemaker took nine loads to the citv. Some 
of these were sold to blacksmiths, and one to the Fairmount 
Nail and Wire Works. 

Here an earnest effort was made to burn it. A good fire 
was built in the furnace and the coal thrown in. For half 
a day the men spent their time in poking and raking and 
stirring and blowing,” but the coal would not burn. At 
dinner-time, worn out and disgusted, they slammed the 
doors of the furnace shut and went home to their meals. 
When they came back, to their astonishment, the furnace 
was red-hot and the coal at a white heat. All it had 


ns DUST RIAL DEVELOPMENT, 


30.3 


wanted was a draught from below. It was the hottest fire 
they had ever seen, and from that time there was no trouble 
in selling anthracite coal. Some from the Lehigh region, 
which was brought to the city in 1814, was sold to the wire- 
mill, at twenty-one dollars a ton. 

Bituminous Coal. — The use of bituminous coal, which is 
very abundant in the western part of the State, began soon 
after settlers reached there. It was first burned by the 
smiths, and afterwards in furnaces, and later great quanti- 
ties of it were sent down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to 
the towns of the West and South. 

Iron-Works. — The working of iron from the iron-mines 
of the State began at Coventry Forge in Chester County, 
in 1720. There were four blast-furnaces in operation in 
1728, and others were rapidly added. It was not until 1839 
that anthracite coal was successfully used to reduce iron 
ores, and from that time the production of iron very rapidly 
increased. 

Oil on the Water. — There is one other great natural 
product of Pennsylvania of which something must be said. 
When the whites first reached the western part of the State 
they found that the Seneca Indians had long been in the 
habit of visiting certain streams in that section to perform 
religious ceremonies. An oily scum covered the surface of 
these streams, and it was the custom of the Indians to set 
fire to this. As it flamed upward, the savages ran along 
the banks of the stream, dancing and singing. 

Oil from the Barth. — The white settlers first obtained this 
oil by dipping blankets into the water and then pressing out 
the oil. It was also found to exude from the earth, and 
finally, about 1860, men began to sink artesian wells, in the 
hope of finding oil deep in the earth. They were very suc- 
cessful in this, and the production and refining of petroleum 


304 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


or rock oil have grown into immense industries. From some 
of the wells came up great quantities of gas which could 
be burned, and this was conducted in pipes to Pittsburg 
and other cities, where it has been long used in houses and 
workshops in place of coal. 

Manufacturing* Cities. — The abundance of iron, coal, 
oil, and other products of nature has had much to do 
with the industrial history of Pennsylvania, which has 
taken a leading position among the manufacturing States 
of the Union. Its largest cities, Philadelphia and Pitts- 
burg, rank high among the centres of industry of the 
world, while Scranton, Reading, Pottsville, and other cities 
of the coal and iron regions are active in manufacturing 
industries. 

Colonial Production. — During the colonial period ac- 
tivity in manufacture was prevented by British laws, only 
some simple articles for home use being made. There 
were saw- and grist-mills, linen and woollen goods were 
woven at Imme, and many vessels were built in the ship- 
yards on the Delaware, but it was not until after the Revo- 
lution that production became active. 

The abundance of iron ore was early discovered, but 
the manufacture of iron was held in check by the laws of 
Great Britain, and little could be done until the province 
had become a State and its people were free to make for 
themselves the goods they needed. 

Mines and Workshops. — During the period of its exist- 
ence as a State the progress of Pennsylvania in mining and 
manufactures has been very great. The yield of its mines 
of coal and iron has been enormous, its oil-wells have sup- 
plied the world with a valuable product, and its workshops 
have developed until they have no superiors in the world. 
In the workshops of Pittsburg everything that can be made 


IND US TRIA L DE VEL OPMENT. 


305 


from iron is produced, while Philadelphia is celebrated 
throughout the world for the variety, abundance, and value 
of its manufactured goods. 

The Industries of Philadelphia. — In its early history 
Philadelphia was noted for its active shipping interests, in 
which it surpassed any other city of the New World. This 
supremacy it has not held, New York and Boston being far 
better situated for commerce. But in manufactures it has 
grown to be one of -the greatest cities of the world, having an 
enormous ship-building establishment, immense workshops 
for the manufacture of locomotives and other fabrics of 
iron and steel, woollen and cotton goods, carpets, refined 
sugar, and many other products, so that from end to end 
it is a great hive of industry and a home of comfort and 
abundance. 

Book-Publishing-. — For a long period after the Revolution 
Philadelphia was the great book-publishing centre of the 
country. There were all the great publishing houses, and 
there the leading magazines were issued. To these most 
of the able young writers of the country contributed. 
Charles Brockden Brown, the first successful American 
novelist, was a Philadelphian. It was long thought that 
no magazine could succeed unless published in Philadelphia. 
Of late years, however, Philadelphia has lost its eminence 
in this direction, though it is still an active publishing 
centre. 

Early Schools. — The people of Pennsylvania have ever 
been the warm friends and advocates of education, and in 
the early years of the colony provision was made for the 
instruction of its youth. Under a law enacted in the first 
year of the province, a school was opened at Philadelphia 
in 1683. This school was taught by Enoch Flowers, and 
in 1689 tlie Friends opened a school at Philadelphia, for 


306 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


which William Penn selected the motto, Good instruc- 
tion is better than riches.’’ This school still exists as the 
William Penn Charter School. 

Hig*her Education. — In 1736 the Log College,” a classi- 
cal school, was established in Bucks County, and thirteen 
years later a similar school was opened at New London, 
Chester County. The first school exclusively for the educa- 
tion of girls was established at Bethlehem, in 1749, by the 
Moravians, who also opened a boys’ school, called Nazareth 
Hall, at Nazareth, in 1785. To the German Baptists, 
usually known as Dunkers, belongs the credit of having 
opened at Ephrata, Lancaster County, in 1740, the first Sab- 
bath-school in America. 

Free Schools. — The State Constitution of 1790 made it 
the duty of the Legislature to provide schools for the free 
instruction of the children of the poor, but no law establish- 
ing schools for the free education of all classes was passed 
until 1834. In the following year a vigorous effort was 
made by the enemies of this system for the repeal of the 
law. In this crisis Mr. Thaddeus Stevens, a member of tlie 
Legislature, came to the rescue, making speeches through- 
out the State and rousing the press to the support of the 
free-school system. 

His efforts were successful, and common-school education 
has since that time existed in Pennsvlvania. The svstem 

t/ ” t/ 

of supervision by county superintendents was adopted in 
1854, and the first State normal school was founded in 1857. 
At present Pennsylvania has thirteen normal and more than 
twenty-eight thousand common schools, while the pupils oYi 
the school rolls number more than one million one hundred 
and fifty thousand. 

Banking* Institutions. — In the financial development of 
the country Pennsylvania long held a leading place. The 


IND V STRIA L BE VEL 0PM ENT. 


307 


Bank of North America, the first bank in the United States, 
was founded at Philadelphia in 1781. It was due to the 
genius of Robert Morris, the great financier of the Revo- 
lution. Ten years afterwards, in 1791, the first Bank of 
the United States was incorporated at Philadelphia. In 
the following year the United States Mint was established 
in that city, and the coinage of money began. 

The first United States bank closed in 1811, and a second 
one was chartered in 1816 to run for twenty years. In 1832 


J 



UNITED STATES BANK. 


a new charter was applied for, but President Jackson vetoed 
the bill, and the bank went out of existence in 1836. The 
handsome edifice of white marble of Grecian architecture, 
built for it in 1819-24, is now used as the United States 
Custom-House and also as the Sub-Treasury at Philadelphia. 
The Bank of North America, the oldest banking institution 
in the New World, is still actively engaged in business. 


308 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


VII.— RECENT HISTORY. 

Since the war of 1812-15 Pennsylvania has grown rapidly 
in wealth and population, its record presenting few of those 
striking events which attract the attention of the historian, 
but being marked by the steady succession of those steps of 
industrial and social progress upon which the comfort and 
happiness of mankind depend. 

Mob Rule. — For years during this period the city of 
Philadelphia sank to a low level as a place of peaceful resi- 
dence, being at the mercy of mobs and organized bands of 
rioters. This state of affairs continued for a long time, 
its worst phase being reached between tlie years 1840 and 
1850. 

The Fire Companies. — Before 1825 the fire companies 
had been composed of respectable people, but after that 
date men of rough character made their way into them, and 
for many years they were centres of riot and disorder. 
Fights between rival companies were common, and build- 
ings were often set on fire to furnish an opportunity for a 
fight. Dwellings would be allowed to burn while rival fire- 
men were fighting for the possession of a fire-plug, goods 
were ruined by water thrown without discretion, and houses 
were plundered b}^ thieves in the dress of firemen. 

Dangerous Rioters. — In addition to the fire companies and 
their lawless retainers there were other gangs of rioters, 
calling themselves Schuylkill Rangers and other names, 
who made certain districts unsafe to live in. It was danger- 
ous to be out at night, as these gangs indulged in desperate 
fights with one another, and even the boys imitated them 
by stone fights, which made the streets unsafe. The police 
force was weak and inefficient, and it was not until after the 
civil war that respect for law and order began to prevail. 


RECENT HISTORY. 


309 


The Negroes attacked. — During this period the negroes 
of the city were frequently attacked by mobs of the igno- 
rant and brutal classes. On one of these occasions, in 1835, 
the negroes were hunted for two nights, their houses burned, 
many of them injured, and most of them driven away from 
the city. In 1838 Pennsylvania Hall, where some women 
were holding an anti-slavery meeting, was set on fire and 
burned to the ground. A church and a shelter for colored 
children were also burned. There were similar riots in 
1842 and 1849, in which halls and churches were burned, the 
authorities making no effort to protect the persecuted negroes. 

The Native American Riots. — The worst riots of the city 
were those of 1844, when the Native Americans — a societv 
opposed to the immigration of foreigners — attacked the 
Irish Catholic population of the city. These riots continued 
at intervals for several months, and were attended with 
frequent and destructive street-fights. The militia were 
called out, but were fought b}^ the mob, who had obtained 
cannon, which they dragged with muffled wheels through 
the dark streets to fire on the soldiers. Before the outbreak 
ended many lives had been lost, while thirty houses, three 
churches, and a convent were,burned. 

The District System. — This state of affairs was partly 
due to the division of the city into districts and boroughs, 
each with its own laws and officials. The city itself occu- 
pied a small area, extending from Vine to South Street and 
from the Delaware to the Schuylkill, — two miles long by 
one mile wide. Around it were the districts of Southwark, 
Northern Liberties, Moyamensing, Spring Garden, etc., and 
various boroughs and townships, there being twenty-nine 
divisions in all. 

Consolidation. — This state of affairs continued until 1854, 
when a consolidation act was passed which did away with 


:no 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA, 


the older system, and brought all the divisions within the 
city, which was extended to the limits of the county. Since 
then it has been much more easy to govern it, and the 
period of riot and disorder has passed away. 

A Pennsylvania President. — In 1856 James Buchanan, a 
native of Franklin County, Pennsylvania, was elected Presi- 
dent of the United States. The country was at peace, 
though in a state of great excitement over the slavery 
question, when he took his seat. When he retired, March 
4, 1861, it was on the verge of war. 

The Call for Troops. — On the 15th of April President 
Lincoln issued his first call for troops. At once, in every 
part of the State, men hastened to enlist, and on the morn- 
ing of the 18th five companies from Pennsylvania marched 
into Washington, being the first of the volunteers to reach 
the national capital, which at that time was thought to be 

in great danger. In ten days after the 
date of the President’s proclamation 
twenty-five Pennsylvania regiments, 
numbering more than twenty-five 
thousand men, were read}" to take 
part in the war. 

Some Leading* Pennsylvanians. — 
Simon Cameron, Secretary of War, a 
native of Pennsylvania, advised the 
President to call out half a million of 
men and use every effort to overthrow 
the rebellion at the start. Thaddeus 
Stevens, a member of Congress from 
Pennsylvania, urged the calling out of a million of men. 
They both held that it would be wise to set free and arm ‘ 
the slaves, that they might be used in the war. Andrew 
Curtin, the governor of the State, was one of the most active 



HON. THADDEUS STEVENS. 


RECENT HISTORY, 


311 


of the Northern governors in supplying the government 
with men and materials for the war. 

The Reserve Corps. — On the 15th of May a bill was 
passed by the Legislature providing for the enlistment of a 
body of troops known afterwards as the Pennsylvania Re- 
serves. They numbered fifteen regiments, and were called 
into the field immediately after the battle of Bull Run, 
when AVashington was again in danger from the enemy. 
They served with distinguished gallantry in the fiercest 
battles of the war. At the head of the Reserves was Major- 
General McCall ; its brigadiers were Generals Meade, Rey- 
nolds, and Ord, all of whom became famous in the war. 

The Refreshment Saloons. — Philadelphia did a noble ser- 
vice in the great struggle by feeding the weary and hungry 
regiments who passed through that city on their way to 
Washington. On the 27th of May, 1861, the Union Vol- 
unteer Refreshment Saloon was opened, and the Cooper 
Shop Volunteer Refreshment Committee was soon after 
organized. Each regiment found awaiting it water for 
washing and bathing, clean towels, an abundance of well- 
cooked food, and numbers of patriotic attendants. 

These saloons were kept open during the war, and fed 
more than a million of men. A hospital for the sick was 
also established, and the generous people of Philadelphia 
won the warm thanks of the President and of the govern- 
ors of the Eastern and Northern States for their aid to the 
soldiers. 

Chambersburg raided. — The first invasion of Pennsyl- 
vania took place on the 10th of October, 1862, shortly after 
the battle of Antietam, when a party of Confederate cav- 
alry, under General Stuart, made a raid through Franklin 
County, burning the railroad buildings at Chambersburg 
and destroying a large amount of war material. 


312 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


Battle of Gettysburg*. — In the following summer the 
whole Confederate army of Virginia invaded the State, 
within whose limits was fought one of the greatest battles 
of modern times. This was the famous battle of Gettys- 
burg, the turning-point in the great struggle for the exist- 
ence of the nation. 

What took place at Gettysburg belongs to our general 

history. For an account of the battle, 
see page 209 of the preceding His- 
tory of the United States.^' General 
Lee’s hope was to defeat the army of 
the North and occupy the rich city of 
Philadelphia, which would have been 
a terrible disaster to the Union cause. 
Small parties of Confederate cavalry 
seized on Carlisle, York, and other 

GENERAL GEORGE G. MEADE. places, burned railway bridges, and 

did other damage. To prevent them 
from crossing the Susquehanna, the great railway bridge at 
Columbia was burned by Union troops. 

But the defeat at Gettysburg put an end to General Lee’s 
hopes and plans, and on the night of the 3d of July what 
was left of his army retreated in haste towards the Potomac. 
More than thirty thousand of his soldiers had been killed, 
wounded, or remained as captives. 

The Burning- of Chambersburg. — A third invasion of 
Pennsylvania took place in July, 1864, when a party of cav- 
alry from General Early’s army made a rapid raid through 
the western part of tlie State, the town of Chambersburg 
being again entered. The people were ordered to pay two 
hundred thousand dollars in gold or half a million in paper • 
money if thev would save their town from ruin. This they 
were not able to do, and the town was set on fire, no time 



( 


RECENT HISTORY. 


a 1.3 

])eing allowed for the removal of the sick or infirm. The 
flames destroyed two-thirds of the houses, the loss to the 
people being estimated at two million dollars. 

The Sanitary Fair. — On June 7, 1864, there was opened 
at Philadelphia a great fair for the benefit of the Sanitary 
Commission of the army. The buildings were erected on 
Logan Square, which they completely covered, and a large 
sum of monev was raised for the use of that noble work of 
l)enevolence. 

Soldiers’ Orphans. — Governor Curtin had early pledged 
the State to take care of the children of volunteer soldiers 
who might fall in the war, and the Legislature passed a law 
for this purpose in 1864. In consequence soldiers’ orphans’ 
schools were established in different parts of the State, where 
the children of fallen patriots were taken care of and edu- 
cated, and at the age of sixteen were put in positions to learn 
trades or were given business situations. 

Pennsylvania in the War. — During the four years of the 
war Pennsylvania sent to the field two hundred and seventy 
regiments and several companies, the whole numbering 
three hundred and eighty-seven thousand two hundred and 
eighty-four men. In addition to the generals in command 
of the Reserve Corps, already named, Pennsylvania supplied 
several other officers who became of great prominence in the 
army. 

Of these may be named Generals George B. McClellan 
and Winfield S. Hancock, both of whom afterwards became 
candidates for the office of President of the United States, 
and General John W. Geary, who was elected Governor of 
Punnsylvania in 1866. We have already spoken of General 
Meade, who was in command at the battle of Gettysburg, 
and General Reynolds, who died on the field in that desper- 
ate struggle. 


314 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


The State Constitution. — In 1701 the Assembly of the 
province of Pennsylvania adopted a constitution, to which 
William Penn gave his assent. In it the principles of 
American liberty were clearly outlined, some of its pro- 
visions being similar to those of the Constitution of the 
United States. In 1776, shortly after the declaration of in- 
dependence, a State constitution was formed, as already 
stated, and another in 1790, based in a measure on that just 
before formulated for the United States. This held good 
until 1838, when a new constitution was adopted, which 
was amended in the years 1850, 1857, and 1864. In 1873 a 
constitutional convention was held, in which the present 
constitution of the State was prepared and adopted. 

The Centennial Exposition. — As the years moved on and 
the hundredth anniversary of American independence came 
near, it was resolved to celebrate this important anniversary 
by a great World’s Fair; and as the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence had been made and signed in Philadelphia, that 
city was selected as the proper site for the celebration. 
Three years before,* in 1873, a large banking-house in Phila- 
delphia had failed, and a business panic begun from which 
the country was still suffering. This interfered in part with 
the success of the fair, but it proved to be one of the largest 
and most important exhibitions of the works of human art 
and industry ever held. 

The buildings were erected in Fairmount Park, and cov- 
ered a great extent of ground, the Main Hall covering 
twenty acres. Many millions of persons visited the fair, 
and many valuable lessons were learned from it. Oiie of 
these was that America was far behind Europe in art work. 
Since then there has been a great development in American 
art, which had its origin in the art display at the Centen- 
nial Exposition. But it was found that in machinery and 


RECENT HISTORY. 


815 


invention America had nothing to learn from Europe, but 
much to teach it. 

The Molly Maguires. — For about ten years before the 
centennial period the coal-mining regions had been kept in 
a state of terror by the acts of a secret society of Irish 
miners, known as the Molly Maguires. Many murders 
were committed, mostly at night, and the laws were openly 
defied. None dared give evidence against the murderers, 
for fear of being themselves killed, and the band of assas- 
sins grew every year bolder and more dangerous. 

At length a detective named McParlan joined the society 
and learned its secrets, which he revealed to the authorities 

in 1876. Arrests were then made among the leaders of the 

0 

Molly Maguires, and in that and the following year a num- 
ber of them were convicted and executed for murder. This 
action broke up the society. 

The Railroad Strike. — In 1877, the year after the Cen- 
tennial Fair, great strikes broke out in Pennsylvania. The 
business depression which began in 1873 had been felt by 
workmen in a lowering of wages. In 1877 several railroad 
companies reduced the wages of their men. 

The strike that followed extended through most of the 
Northern States, and for two weeks the trains were pre- 
vented by the strikers from moving. A strike of the coal- 
miners of Pennsylvania also took place, and in all about 
one hundred and fifty thousand men stopped work. Rioting 
followed, much property was destroyed, and a number of 
lives were lost. 

The Riot at Pittsburg. — The worst of the riots was at 
Pittsburg. Here the State militia were attacked bv a furious 
mob, and great numbers of freight cars were plundered 
and burned. The railroad buildings were set on fire, the 
total loss being nearly three millions of dollars. Finally 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


31 G 

United States troops had to be sent to Ihttsburg to suppress 
the riot. During the outbreak nearly one hundred persons 
were killed. 

The Homestead Strike. — We have one more serious 
strike to speak of, — that which took place at the steel-works 
at Homestead, near Pittsburg, in 1892. Detectives were 
hired by the proprietors to protect their works, and these 
were fired upon and taken prisoners by the strikers, men 
being killed on both sides. The militia of the State had 
to be called out, and the works guarded for several weeks, 
before order was restored. The loss was great to the own- 
ers and the workmen, and the State was put to a large 
expense. 

Johnstown Flood. — The most terrible disaster ever known 
in the United States took place at Johnstown, a busy manu- 
facturing city in the central region of the State, on May 31, 
1889. The Conemaugh River was flooded by the bursting 
of a large dam several miles above the city, which was com- 
pletely destroyed by the rushing torrent. More than two 
thousand persons were drowned and ten million dollars^ 
worth of property was destroyed. Everywhere throughout 
the State the people gave freely for the aid of the sufferers, 
and for months charity and sympathy seemed to be their 
only thoughts. 

Anniversary Occasions. — The centennial celebration of 
1870 was soon followed by other important celebrations. 
In 1882 came the two-hundredth anniversary of the landing 
of William Penn, and this was celebrated at Philadelphia 
with suitable ceremonies. In 1887 arrived the hundredth 
anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the United 
States, which was made a great occasion at Philadelphia, ‘ 
being celebrated by a series of grand processions, military 
and industrial. 


RECENT HISTORY, 


317 


Electrical Exhibition. — In 1884 an International Elec- 
trical Exhibition was held in Philadelphia, in which all the 
discoveries made up to that time were displayed. It was 
the most important exhibit of electrical inventions that had 
been held to that date. 

Washington Monument. — In 1897 a grand equestrian 
statue of George Washington was erected at the entrance of 
Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, by the Society of the Cincin- 
nati. The dedication was made the occasion of grand military 
and bicycle processions, presided over by President McKin- 
ley. The monument is one of the finest and most artistic 
in the United States. 

The State Capitol burned. — The State Capitol at Harris- 
burg, the corner-stone of which was laid May 31, 1819, and 
the main building completed in 1821, caught fire on February 
2, 1897, and was burned to the ground. Fortunately, the most 
valuable of the public records were saved. A strong effort 
was made to have the State capital removed to Philadelphia, 
but it was decided to make no change, but to erect a new 
Capitol on the ground which had been occupied by the old 
one. This has since been done. 

Restoration of Independence Hall. — The anniversary 
celebrations mentioned were followed by a desire to restore 
Independence Hall to the condition in which it existed 
during the Revolution. This restoration was completed by 
1900, all the later buildings being removed and the rooms 
brought back to their old state, and supplied, as far as possi- 
ble, with their old furniture. 

Liberty Bell. — In this hall is carefully preserved the most 
valuable historical relic alike of Pennsylvania and of the 
United States, the old bell which rang out to the world the 
story of American independence in 1770. This bell, received 
in Philadelphia in 1752, bears the strikingly significant in- 


;u8 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


scription, “ Proclaim liberty throughout all the land, to all 
the inhabitants thereof.” It was last rung on the morninsr 
of July 8, 1835, when it cracked while being tolled in mem- 
ory of Chief J ustice Marshall . Since then the bell has several 
times left the city, having been sent to the exhibitions at 
New Orleans, Chicago, Atlanta, Charleston, and St. Louis, 
at which places it formed a principal centre of attraction. 
Many Philadelphians object to its being again permitted to 
leave its resting place in Independence Hall, they fearing 
that some accident might befall it. 

The Commercial Museums. — On June 1, 1897, an im- 
portant event took place at Philadelphia, in the opening of 
the Commercial Museums, a collection of industrial products 
from all parts of the world obtained from the Columbian 
Exposition at Chicago in 1893, and from many other sources. 
This institution is the first of its kind in the world, and has 
proved of the utmost advantage to the merchants of Phila- 
delphia and other localities. 

The National Export Exposition. — Several large build- 
ings were erected for the Commercial Museums in 1899, 
on the west bank of the Schuylkill, and there was held in 
them, during the autumn of that year, a National Export 
Exposition, which was visited by more than a million peo- - 
pie, and made an imposing display of the products of Ameri- 
can manufacturers. 

Commercial and Political Conventions. — During the 
exposition there was held in its hall a Commercial Congress, 
attended by delegates from all parts of the world, and of 
high commercial advantage. The great auditorium of these 
buildings was used in .June, 1900, by the National Republi- 
can Convention, for the nomination of candidates for Presi- 
dent and Vice-President, the first convention of this kind 
that had been held in the East for many years. 


RECENT HISTORY. 


319 


Political Conditions. — The activity of manufacturing 
industries in Pennsylvania and the favor in which the prin- 
ciple of high tariff* was held gave the Republican party 
a large majority in that State, and thus favored the growth 
of political dominance in the party leaders. This was 
especially the case from the election of Matthew S. Quay 
to the United States Senate in 1887 to his death in 1904. 
What is called the ‘‘ political machine ” reached its highest 
development in the hands of Quay, who ruled the party like 
an autocrat, though many charges of corrupt dealing were 
made against him. 

A Popular Revolt. — After the death of Quay his suc- 
cessors sought to keep up the system of Boss rule ’’ 
and to control the elections and the legislature, but the 
people rose in revolt against them, and in the November 
election of 1905 the cause of reform won an important 
victory. The popular feeling grew so strong that Governor 
Pennypacker called an extra session of the legislature to 
meet in January, 1906. As a result a number of important 
reform bills were passed, designed especially to promote 
honesty in elections. These included the registration of 
voters, direct voting for candidates at primary elections, 
etc. The Civil Service principle was adopted for cities of 
the first class. 

Corruption in Philadelphia. — The revolt above mentioned 
had its origin in Philadelphia, corruption in awarding con- 
tracts and granting privileges having grown so flagrant 
that this city came to be looked upon as the worst governed 
in the world. Reform movements seemed hopeless until 
the spring of 1905, when John Weaver, the Mayor, refused 
to sanction a corrupt deal with the company leasing the 
gas-works. The people rose to his support and in a few 
week’s time the power of the machine ” was overthrown. 


320 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


In the fall election the reform party won a notable victory, 
and the feeling aroused spread rapidly through the state. 

The New State Capitol. — One of the indications of 
fraudulent dealing had to do with the new State Capitol, a 
handsome and stately building, built at a cost of $4,000,000, 
but furnished and decorated at nearly double this cost. 
The discovery of this enormous expenditure in furnishing 
aroused a general feeling of indignation, especially as much 
of the work done was said to have been paid for at four 
or five times its actual cost. A legislative committee was 
appointed to make a stringent inquiry into this questionable 
affair and found evidence of enormous overcharges. 

Development in Philadelphia. — The “ Quaker City,’’ as 
Philadelphia is often called, has grown with great rapidity 
and for many years was the largest city in the United States. 
With more than a million inhabitants at the census of 1900, 
it has gained the name of the ‘‘ city of homes ” from its 
great number of comfortable dwellings for families of moder- 
:ate means. No city has a more extended system of electric 
cars, or is better lighted, or more abundantly supplied 
with park room, while handsome boulevards are under 
construction and other steps are being taken to add to its 
beauty and convenience. 

Population of State and Larg*e Cities. — In 1900, Penn- 
sylvania ranked second among the States, having a popu- 
lation of 6,302,115. The population of its larger cities was : 
Philadelphia, 1,293,697; Pittsburg, 321,616; Alleghany, 
129,896; Scranton, 102,026; Reading, 78,961; Wilkes- 
barre, 51,721, and Harrisburg, 50,167. 


COUNTIES IN PENNSYLVANIA, 


321 


COUNTIES IN PENNSYLVANIA. 


Counties. 

When 

formed. 

County towns. 

When laid 
out. 

Chester 

1682 

West Chester 

1786 

Bucks 

1682 

Doylestown 

1778 

Philadelphia 

1682 

Philadelphia ...... 

1682 

Lancaster 

1729 

Lancaster 

1730 

York 

1749 

York 

1741 

Cumberland 

1750 

Carlisle 

1751 

Berks 

1752 

Heading 

1748 

Northampton 

1752 

Easton 

1738 

Bedford 

1771 

Bedford 

1766 

Northumberland 

1772 

Sunhurv 

1772 

Westmoreland 

1773 

Greensburg 

1782 

Washington 

1781 

Washington 

1782 

Fayette 

1783 

Uniontown 

1767 

Franklin 

1784 

Chambersburg 

1764 

Montgomery 

1784 

Norristown 

1784 

Dauphin 

1785 

Harrisburg 

1785 

Luzerne 

1786 

Wilkesbarre 

1783 

Huntingdon 

1787 

Huntingdon 

1767 

Alleghany 

1788 

Pittsburg 

1765 

Delaware 

1789 

Media 

1849 

Mifflin 

1789 

Lewistown 

1790 

Somerset 

1795 

Somerset 

1795 

Lycoming 

1796 

Williamsport 

1796 

Greene 

1796 

Waynesburg 

1796 

Wayne 

1796 

Honesdale 

1826 

Annstrong 

1800 

Kittanning 

1804 

Adams 

1800 

Gettysburg 

1787 

Butler 

1800 

Butler 

1803 

Beaver 

1800 

Beaver 

1791 

Centre 

1800 

Bellefonte 

1795 

Crawford 

' 1800 

Meadville 

1795 

Erie 

1800 

Erie 

1795 

Mercer 

1800 

Mercer . 

1803 

Venango 

1800 

Franklin 

1795 

Warren 

1800 

Warren 

1795 

Indiana 

1803 

Indiana 

1805 

Jefferson 

1804 

Brookville 

1830 

McKean 

1804 

Smethport 

1807 

Potter 

1804 

Coudersport 

1807 

Tioga 

1804 

Wellsborough 

1806 

Cambria 

1804 

Ebensburg 

1805 

Clearfield 

1804 

Clearfield 

1805 

Bradford 

1810 

Towanda 

1812 

Susquehanna 

1810 

Montrose 

1811 

Schuylkill 

1811 

Pottsville 

1816 


322 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA, 


COUNTIES IN PENNSYLVANIA {Continued), 


Counties. 

When 

formed. 

County towns. 

jWhen laid 
out. 

Lehio-h 

1812 

Allentown 

1751 

Lebanon 

1813 

Lebanon 

1750 

Columbia 

1813 

Bloomsburg 

1802 

U nion 

1813 

Lewisburg 

1785 

Pike 

1814 

Milford 

1800 

Perry 

1820 

New Bloomtield 

1822 

Juniata 

1831 

Mifliintown 

1791 

Monroe 

1836 

Stroudsburg 

1806 

Clarion 

1839 

Clarion 

1840 

Clinton 

1839 

Lockhaven ....... 

1833 

Wyoming 

1842 

Tunkhannock 

1790 

Carbon 

1843 

Mauch Chunk 

1815 

Elk 

1843 

Ridgway 

1843 

Blair 

1846 

Hollidaysburg 

1820 

Sullivan 

1847 

Laporte 

1850 

Forest 

1848 

Tionesta 

1852 

Fulton 

1850 

jMcConnellsburg 

1796 

Lawrence 

1850 

New Castle 

1802 

Montour 

1850 

Danville 

1790 

Snyder 

1855 

Middleburg ! 

1800 

Cameron 

1860 

Emporium 

1861 

Lackawanna 

1878 

Scranton 

1840 


GOVERNOPvS OF THE SWEDISH AND DUTCH COLONIES ON 
THE DELAWARE, OF THE ENGLISH PROVINCE, AND OF 
THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


SWEDISH. 


1638-41. Peter Minuit. 
1641-43. Peter Hollender. 
1643-53. John Printz. 


1653- 54. John Pappegoya. 

1654- 55. John Claude Rysingh. 


DUTCH. 

1655-57. John Paul Jacquet. 1658-63. William Beekman (com- 

1657-59. Jacob Alrichs* (city). pany). 

1659-63. Alexander d’Hinoyossa 1663-64. Alexander d’Hinoyossa.f 
(city). 

1657-58. Goeran Van Dyck (com- 
pany). 


* Colony divided into city and company, 1657. 
t Colony united, 1663. 


GOVERNORS. 


323 


1664-67. Richard Nicholls. 


ENGLISH. 

1667-73. Francis Lovelace. 


DUTCH. 

1673-74. Peter Alrichs, 

Dejiuiy Governor. 


ENGLISH. 


1674-81. Sir Edmund Andros. 


WILLIAM PENN, PROPRIETOR. 


1681- 82. William Markham, 

Deputy Governor. 

1682- 84. William Penn. 

1684-86. The Council (Thomas 
Lloyd, President). 

1686-88. Five Commissioners ap- 
pointed by Penn. 
1688-90. John Blackwell, 

Deputy Governor. 

1690- 91. The Council (Thomas 

Lloyd, Presidenf). 

1691- 92. Thomas Lloyd, 

Dejmty Governor. 
1693-95. Benjamin Fletcher, 

Royal Governor of New York. 


1695-99. William Markham (under 
restored proprietorship), 
Deputy Governor. 
1699-1701 William Penn. 

1701-03. Andrew Hamilton, 

Lieutenant Governor. 

1703- 04. The Council (Edward 

Shippen, President). 

1704- 09. John Evans, 

Lieutenant Governor. 
1709-17. Charles Cookin, 

Lieutenant Governor. 
1717-18. Sir William Keith, 

Lieutenant Governor. 


JOHN, RICHARD, AND THOMAS PENN, PROPRIETORS. 


1718-26! Sir William Keith, 

Lieutenant Governor. 
1726^36. Patrick Gordon, 

Lieutenant Governor. 


1736-38. The Council (James 
Logan, Pre^dent). 
1738-47. George Thomas, 

Lieutenant Governor. 


JOHN PENN D. 1746. RICHARD AND THOMAS, PROPRIETORS. 


1747- 48. The Council (Anthony 

Palmer, President). 

1748- 54. James Hamilton, 

Lieutenant Governor. 
1754-56. Robert H. Morris, 

Deputy Governor. 


1756-59. William Denny, 

Lieutenant Governor. 
1759-63. James Hamilton, 

Lieutenant Governor. 
1763-71. John Penn, son of Richard, 

Lieutenant Governor, 


324 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


RICHARD PENN D. 1771. JOHN AND THOMAS, f»ROPRIETORS. 

1771. The Council (James Hamil- 1773-76. John Penn, 

ton. President). Lieutenant Governor. 

1771-73. Richard Penn, brother of 
John, 

Lieutenant Governor. 


# 

UNDER FIRST STATE CONSTITUTION. 


1776- 77. Committee of Safety (Ben- 

jamin Franklin, 

Chairman), 

1777- 78. Thomas Wharton, Jr., 

President of Slip. Ex. Council. 
1778. George Bryan, vice Wharton, 
deceased. 

1778- 81. Joseph Reed, 

President of Sup. Ex. Council. 


1781- 82. William Moore, 

President of Sup. Ex. Council. 

1782- 85. John Dickinson, 

President of Sup. Ex. Council. 

1785-88. Benjamin Franklin, 

President of Sup. Ex. Council. 
1788-90. Thomas Mifflin, 

President of Sup. Ex. Council 


UNDER CONSTITUTION OF 1790. 


1790-99. Thomas Mifflin. 
1799-1808. Thomas McKean. 
1808-17. Simon Snyder. 

1817-20. William Findlay. 

1 


1820-23. Joseph Hies ter. 
1823-29. John A. Shulze. 
1829-35. George Wolf. 
1835-39. Joseph Ritner. 


UNDER CONSTITUTION OF 1838. 

1839-45. David R. Porter. 1855-58. James Pollock. 

1845-48. Francis R. Shunk. 1858-61. William F. Packer. 

1848-52. William F. Johnston, vnce 1861-67. Andrew G. Curtin. 

Shunk, resigned. 1867-73. John W. Geary. 

1852-55. William Bigler. 




UNDER CONSTITUTION OF 1873. 


1873-79. John F. Hartranft. 
1879-83. Henry M. Hoyt. 
1883-87. Robert E. Pattison. 
1887-91. James A. Beaver. 
1891-95. Robert E. Pattison. 


1895-99. Daniel H. Hastings. 
1899-1903. William A. Stone. 
1903-1907. Samuel W. Penny packer. 
1907-1911. Edwin S. Stuart. 


CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 


325 


CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF INTERESTING EVENTS NOT 
MENTIONED IN THE PRECEDING HISTORY. 

1642. Lutheran catechism translated into the Indian language by Campanius. 
1646. Church built on Tinicum Island. First mention made of Upland, 
now Chester. 

1654. Treaty at Tinicum between the Swedes and the Indian chiefs. 

1657. School at New Amstel (New Castle), the first on record in the colony. 
1669. Block-house built at Wicaco ; used as a church in 1677. 

1679. The first English child horn in Pennsylvania. 

1682. The first English child horn in Philadelphia. Letitia House erected 

for William Penn ; now preserved in Fainnount Park. 

1683. The first grist-mill built near Germantown. First post-office estab- 

lished in Philadelphia. First school in Philadelphia, taught by 
Enoch Flower. 

1684. Pennshury manor-house built for William Penn. First Baptist societies 

organized in Bucks County, near Bristol, and in Chester County. 

1685. Court-house at Chester erected. First piinting-press in Philadelphia 

established by William Bradford ; an almanac the first issue. 

1686. The first prison in Philadelphia built. First Baptist church in Penn- 

sylvania on Pennepack Creek, near site of Holmeshurg. First 
meeting-house in Germantown, built by German Friends. 

1688. Friends’ meeting-houses built in Darby and Haverford. 

1689. Germantown incorporated. Public school established in Philadelphia; 

chartered by William Penn in 1701 ; still exists as the “William 
Penn Charter School.” 

1692. First school established at Darby. 

1695. First Episcopal church erected in Philadelphia, on site of present 

Christ Church. Fulling-mill built in Darby. 

1696. The fii*st paper-mill in Pennsylvania, erected near Germantown. 

1700. Swedes’ Church built on site of old block-house at Wicaco. John 

Penn, son of William Penn, born in the “ Old Slate Roof House, 
Philadelphia. He was afterwards known as “The American.” 

1701. Philadelphia chartered as a city. 

1704. The first Presbyterian church in the province erected at Philadelphia; 
known as the “ Old Buttonwood Church.” 

1706. The first Presbytery in America organized in Philadelphia. 

1707. The old court-house. Market Street, Philadelphia, erected. 

1713. The Friends’ Almshouse founded at Philadelphia; buildings erected 
1713-29. 


326 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


1718. William Penn died at liuscombe, England. Diinkers settled about 

Germantown and in Lancaster County. 

ft 

1719. The hrst newspaper outside Boston, the third in. America, published 

in Philadelphia ; named The American Weekly Mercury. 

1720. The first iron furnaces erected in Pennsylvania. 

1721. The first insurance office opened in Philadelphia. 

1723. Benjamin Franklin arrived in Philadelphia. Paper money first issued 
in the province. 

1728. Bartram’s Botanic Garden, near Gray’s Ferry, begun. 

1729. The building of the State-House, Philadelphia, begun ; completed in 

1734. Publication of The Peyinsylvania. Gazette begun by Franklin ; 
the first successful newspaper. Second paper-mill built, in Concord 
Township, Delaware County. Catholic chapel built near Frankford, 
Philadelphia County. 

1730. Line of stages between Philadelphia and New York begun ; bi- 

monthly ; weekly in 1733. 

1731. The first Baptist church erected in Philadelphia. Inoculation first 

practised in Pennsylvania. Public library started by Benjamin 
Franklin ; chartered as the Philadelphia Library in 1742. 

1732. ‘‘ Poor Kichard’s Almanac ” first issued by Franklin. “ Colony in 

Schuylkill ” club organized : still exists as ‘‘ State in Schuvlkill.” 

ft cr* * ft 

1733. The first negroes emancipated in Philadelphia. First German Be- 

formed church erected at Germantown. First Koman Catholic 
chapel in Philadelphia. 

1734. The first newspaper in the colonies in a foreign language (German) 

issued at Gennantown. Small quantities of silk produced. First 
Masonic lodge in the province organized at Philadelphia, Benjamin 
Franklin master. 

1735. Benjamin Franklin appointed postmaster of Philadelphia. 

1738. Benjamin West, the first native artist of America, born in Springfield, 

Delaware County. First fire company organized in Philadelphia 
by Franklin. 

1739. Moravian settlement begun at the Forks of the Delaware. 

1740. Lazaretto for sick immigrants established at Tinicum. First permanent 

settlement at Bethlehem. 

1741. The first literary journal in the colonies, The General Magazine and 

Historical Chronicle^ established by Franklin at Philadelphia. 

1743. The American Philosophical Society founded in Philadelphia; incur- . 
porated 1780; building erected 1785. A German edition of the 
Bible issued at Germantown. 

1745. The Franklin stoves invented by Benjamin Franklin. 


CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 


327 


• 

1746. The first iron rolling und slitting mill in Pennsylvania. 

1747. The first steel furnace erected in Philadelphia. 

1748. The first public lottery sanctioned by the assembly. The first German 

Lutheran Synod in the colonies organized in Philadelphia. 

1749. Academy established at Germantown. School for girls at Bethlehem. 

An academy and charitable school founded by Franklin at Phila- 
delphia ; opened as a Latin school 1750; incorporated 1753; char- 
tered in 1755 as “The College, Academy, and Charitable School 
of Philadelphia;’' became the University of Pennsylvania in 
1779. 

1750. In this year 5300 immigrants came to Pennsylvania ; Philadelphia 

had more than 2000 houses ; about 4500 in 1768; reached Boston 
in population about 1750; soon after was far ahead. 

1751. The Pennsylvania Hospital founded at Philadelphia; building erected 

1755 to 1804. Loganian Library founded. A German and English 
newspaper published in Lancaster. 

1752. Cannon stoves first used. Mutual assurance company founded. Frank- 

lin discovered that lightning is due to electricity. The State-House 
bell imported from England ; recast in Philadelphia 1753. 

1753. Benjamin Franklin made deputy postmaster-general for the British 

colonies. The daily delivery of letters by carriers began in Phila- 
delphia. Two attempts were made to find the Northwest passage 
by a vessel sent from Philadelphia. 

1755. Free school started by subscription at Easton. 

1756. Line of stages and wagons established between Philadelphia and 

Baltimore. 

1757. First weekly post from Philadelphia to Carlisle. 

1759. First theatre built in Philadelphia. 

1762. First lectures on anatomy in Philadelphia, by Dr. William Shippen. 

1763. Mason and Dixon began to run the boundary line between Pennsyl- 

vania and Marvland. 

C' 

1764. Grand Lodge of Masons organized in Philadelphia. Medical school 

founded, the oldest in the United vStates, now the medical depart- 
ment of the University of Pennsylvania. 

1766. Stage-coaches made the journey between Philadelphia and New York 
in two days ; were called “ flying machines.” 

1769. Methodism first introduced into Pennsylvania. Chemistry first taught 

in America, by Dr. Bush. 

1770. Carpenters’ Hall, at Philadelphia, built ; used by the First Continen- 

tal Congress in 1774. 

1771. The Medical Society of Philadelphia organized. 


328 


HISTORY OF PEjSINSYLVANIA, 


1773. The first Methodist Conference in the United States held at Philadel- 

phia. The first steam-engine of American origin built in Philadel- 
phia. 

1774. The Friends abolished slavery among themselves. 

1775. Benjamin Franklin appointed by Congress postmaster-general. 

1776. First powder-mill in Pennsylvania erected near Chester. Law passed 

for establishino; schools in everv countv. 

1777. State-House bell and Christ Church bells taken to places of safety to 

preserve them from the British. 

1780. The Humane Society of Philadelphia founded ; incorporated 1793. 
1782. The first manufacture of fustians and jeans in America, at Philadel- 
phia. 

1784. The Philadelphia Museum founded, by Charles M. Peale. The first 

daily newspaper in the country issued at Philadelphia ; previously 
a weekly, — The Pennsylvania Packet or the General Advertiser. 

1785. Fitch began experiments in steam navigation on the Delaware. The 

Philadelphia Agricultural Society founded, the first in the United 
States. 

1786. A Philadelphia directory issued, the first in the United States. The 

first mail between Philadelphia and Pittsburg. The Pittsburg Gazette 
issued, the first newspaper west of the Alleghanies. The western 
boundary of the State settled. An act passed to appropriate sixty 
thousand acres of land in aid of public schools. 

1787. The College of Physicians at Philadelphia founded ; chartered 1789. 

Bishop White, the first Episcopal bishop in Pennsylvania and the 
second in the United States, ordained in England. 

1789. First stage-coach line from Philadelphia to Beading. First Episcopal 

Convention in America held at Philadelphia. 

1790. Congress begins its sessions in Philadelphia. First manufacture of 

brooms from broom-corn. The Fitch steamboats make regular trips 
for four months between Philadelphia and Trenton. 

1791. First Sunday-school society in the United States founded in Philadel- 

phia. First newspaper in Harrisburg, The Oracle of Dauphin. 

1792. The first turnpike road in the United States, from Philadelphia to 

Lancaster, begun; length, sixty-two miles; completed 1794. 
United States Mint established at Philadelphia ; worked by horse- 
power until 1815. 

^793- Second inauguration of President Washington, in Independence Hall. 
1796. The first successful type-foundry in America established at Philadel- 
phia. First paper-mill west of the mountains built near Browns- 
ville. 


CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 


329 


1797. John Adams inaugurated President of the United States in Indepen- 

dence Hall. 

1798. The Schuylkill Permanent Bridge at Philadelphia begun ; opened in 

1805 ; the first of the kind in America. 

1799. The State Legislature met at Lancaster ; continued to meet there until 

1812. 

1800. Seat of the national government removed from Philadelphia to Wash- 

ington. 

1801. Philadelphia supplied with water from Centre Square ; works operated 

hy steam ; log pipes used. Chamber of Commerce founded. Ground 
for the United States Navy-Yard purchased. 

1802. Law Library of Philadelphia established. 

1803. Pennsylvania first called the Keystone State. 

1804. First stage between Chambersburg and Pittsburg. 

1805. The Academy of Fine Arts of Philadelphia founded ; incorporated 

1806. First dry-goods commission house in the country opened at 
Philadelphia. 

1806. First railroad in the United States built at Leiperville quarries, Dela- 

ware County ; rails of wood ; worked by horses. 

1808. First newspaper, The Mirror^ published in Erie. Philadelphia Bible 
Society, the first in America, founded. 

1810. The Treaty Tree at Kensington blown down. The first steam ferrv^- 

boat to Camden, and steamboats from Philadelphia to Chester and 
Bordentown, began running. 

1811. The first steamboat on Western waters launched at Pittsburg. 

1812. The first rolling-mill at Pittsburg built. Water-works begun at Fair- 

mount, Philadelphia ; finished 1815. Academy of Natural Sciences 
founded ; incorporated 1816. 

1814. Philadelphia Orphan Society Asylum founded; incorporated 1816. 
1816-17. Wire suspension bridge, first in the country, built over the Schuyl- 
kill at Philadelphia. 

1817. Bridge over the Susquehanna at Harrisburg finished. 

1818. Bridge over the Monongahela built at Pittsburg. First steamboat 

launched on Lake Erie. First light-house on the great lakes built 
at Presque Isle. Lehigh Canal begun ; completed 1838. 

1819. United States Bank building at Philadelphia begun ; completed 1824. 

First bridge built over the Alleghany at Pittsburg. Apprentices' 
Library, Philadelphia, founded. Corner-stone of State Capitol at 
Harrisburg laid ; building completed 1821. 

1821. Deaf and Dumb Asylum founded in Philadelphia; building erected 
1825. Philadelphia College of Phannacy, the first in the country, 
established. 


830 


HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 


1822. State Legislature first met in the Capitol at Harrisburg. Mercantile 

Library of Philadelphia founded ; chartered 1842. Grand Lodge 
of Odd-Fellows organized at Philadelphia. 

1823. Paste rn Penitentiary, Philadelphia, erected. The dam and water- 

works at Fairmount completed. 

1824. Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, incorporated. The American Sun- 

day-School L^nion formed. 

1825. Schuylkill Nayigation Canal completed ; begun 1815. Historical 

Society of Pennsylyania founded at Philadelphia. Manufacture of 
queensware begun, the first in the country. 

1826. Manufacture of school slates begun in Pennsylyania, near the Dela- 

ware Piyer. 

1827. The Jefierson Medical College founded at Philadelphia. Corner-stone 

of the first lock of the Pennsylvania Canal laid at Harrisburg. 
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the first in the United States, 
founded at Philadelphia. Mauch Chunk Kailroad built ; second 
iron track in the country. House of Kefuge, Philadelphia, incor- 
porated. Western Penitentiary, Pittsburg, completed. 

1828. First periodical in the country devoted to women. The Ladies^ Maga^ 

zine^ started at Philadelphia ; united with Godey's Ladies' Book in 
1837. First manufacture of paper from straw and hay, at Mead- 
ville. First run of a locomotive on an American railroad, on Car- 
bondale and Honesdale Pailroad. 

1829-32. United States Mint building erected at Philadelphia; new Mint 
building erected 1897-1900. 

1830. Fii*st penny paper in the country, Tiie Ceni^ issued at Philadelphia ; 

soon discontinued. 

1831. Stephen Girard died, the richest man in the country, worth about ten 

million dollars. First locomotive built at Baldwin Works. 

1832. The Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad finished; 

the “ Old Ironsides,’’ the first efiective locomotive in the State, used 
on it. Severe epidemic of cholera in Philadelphia. 

1833. The first National Temperance Convention held at Philadelphia. 

Corner-stone of Girard College laid; building opened January 1, 
1848. Institution for the Blind opened. 

1834. Common-school system of Pennsylvania established. First homoe- 

opathic medical school in the world opened at Allentown. Colum- 
bia line of canal and railroad opened to Pittsburg ; operated bj 
horse-power until 1880. 

1835. Manufacture of mineral teeth begun in Philadelphia about this time. 

1836. Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane built at Philadelphia ; opened 

1841. Philadelphia first lighted with gas February 10. 


CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 


331 


1840. Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal completed ; begun 1827. The city of 
Scranton founded. 

1842. New wire suspension bridge over the Schuylkill finished. 

1846. The first telegraph lines in Pennsylvania built. 

1847. The zinc-mines of Lehigh County discovered. 

1849. State Lunatic Asylum built at Harrisburg. First women’s medical 

college in the world established at Philadelphia. 

1850. Western House of Kefuge chartered at Pittsburg. School of Design 

for Women established at Philadelphia; first in the country. The 
first fiictory west of the Alleghanies for working copper and brass 
opened at Pittsburg ; first in the United States for working Ameri- 
' can copper. 

1852. Pennsylvania Training School for Feeble-Minded Children established 

at Germantown ; removed to Elwyn 1859 Manufacture of gal- 
vanized iron begun at Philadelphia ; first in the country. 

1853 . Zine-works at Bethlehem started ; tirst sheet zinc made there in 1865. 

1854. Normal School at Philadelphia founded. 

1855 . Corner-stone of Masonic Temple laid in Philadelphia ; corner-stone of 

new Masonic Temple laid in 1868 ; building dedicated 1873. Lemon 
Hill dedicated to the citv as Fairmount Park, the first addition to 
the garden adjoining Fairmount Hill ; t^edgeley purchased in 1856, 
Lansdowne in 1866; George’s Hill donated in 1867 ; other purchases 
subsequently. 

1857- Normal School hill passed ; first State normal school opened at Mil- 
lersville, 1859. Academy of Music of Philadelphia completed. 

1858. Introduction of the street railway system of Philadelphia begun ; 

change from horse to electric power begun in 1892. 

1859. State Agricultural College opened in Centre County. 

1860. The business in petroleum begun ; the wildest speculation ever known 

in the United States. 

1871. The Paid Fire Department of Philadelphia established. The building 
of the City Hall begun, the largest municipal building in America 
and the loftiest building in the world ; corner-stone laid July 4, 1874. 
1874. Great inundation at Pittsburg; about one hundred lives lost; im- 
mense destruction of property. 

1878. Cycloneat Philadelphia, October 23 ; more than four hundred build- 
ings unroofed ; more than one hundred injured and demol- 
ished. 

1880. Committee of One Hundred formed to promote honest politics; dis- 
banded 1886. 

1884. Philadelphia Post-Ofllce opened 


332 HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 

1887. The amended city charter, known as the Bullitt Bill, in operation in 

Philadelphia. 

1888. The great storm, known as “ The Blizzard,'’ began March 11. 

1891. The Academy of Natural Sciences’ expedition to North Greenland, 
under Lieutenant Peary, made important discoveries. Drexel Insti- 
tute of Art, Science, and Industry dedicated. 

1895. The Philadelphia Commercial Bourse opened. 

1897. The Commercial Section of the Philadelphia Museum opened ; exer- 

cises attended by many foreign delegates. Strikers in the coal 
region fired on by sheriff’s deputies ; many killed and wounded. 
State Capitol burned at Harrisburg. Washington 'Monument 
erected at Philadelphia by the Society of the Cincinnati. 

1898. The National Guard of Pennsylvania called out by the national gov- 

ernment to assist in the war with Spain. 

1899. The National Export Exposition and Commercial Congress held in 

the buildings erected for the Commercial Museum. 

1900. The National Kepublican Convention for the nomination of candi- 

dates for President and Vice-President of the United States held 
at Philadelphia. 

1901. A new United States Mint building erected in Philadelphia. Work 

begun on the filtration system for supplying Philadelphia with 
pure water. 

1903. A subway for Electric cars under Market Street begun ; to connect 
with elevated roads in West Philadelphia. 

1905. Great uprising of the people against corrupt party rule. 

1906. An extr^ session of the Legislature passed many reform bills ; also bill 

to combine Pittsburg and Alleghany into one city. The new State 
Capitol completed. 

1907. A broad boulevard from the City Hall to Fairmount Park begun in 

Philadelphia. 


INDEX 


A. 

Acadians, home of the, 107; expulsion 
of the, by the English, 108. 

Adams, John, on the Declaration of 
Independence Committee, 129; elect- 
ed President, 154. 

Adams, John Quincy, President, 166. 

Agriculture, 91, 141, 246, 248. 

Aguinaldo, capture of, 236. 

Alabama and Kearsarge, the, 213. 

Alabama claims, settlement of the, 222. 

Alaska, purchased from Russia, 221 ; 
seal fisheries of, 231 ; gold discoveries 
in, 248-9. 

Allen, Ethan, capture of Ticonderoga 
by, 125. 

Amendments to the Constitution, 217, 
218. 

America discovered by Columbus, 16 ; 
how named, 18 ; native inhabitants 
of, 32-3. 

American commerce, interference 
with, 155. 

American discontent, causes of, 115- 

120 . 

Anderson, Major, at Fort Sumter, 199. 

Andre, Major, capture and execution 
of, 137. 

Andros, Sir Edmund, 52. 

Antietam, battle of, 204. 

Arbitration, of the Alabama claims, 
222; of the seal fisheries, 231; of 
the Venezuelan boundary, 233. 

Armies, disbanding of the, 239. 

Arnold, Benedict, attack on Quebec by, 
128 ; treason of, 137. 

Arthur, Chester A., becomes President, 


Bacon, Nathaniel, rebellion of, 43. 
Balboa discovers the Pacific, 21. 
Barbary States, war with the, 162. 
Benevolence, progress of, 251. 


I Bennington, battle of, 134. 

i Berkeley, Governor, revenge of, 44. 

Bicycle, the, 243. 

Blockade runners, the, 205. 

Boone, Daniel, in Kentucky, 140. 

Boston, the English besieged in, 125; 
evacuation of, 127. 

Boston massacre, 120 ; tea-party, 120 ; 
port bill, 121 ; fire, 221. 

Braddock, General, character of, 105 ; 
defeat of, 105, 106. 

Brandywine, battle of the, 133. 

Buchanan, James, elected President, 
196. 

Buena Vista, battle of, 180. 

Bull Run, first battle of, 200; second 
battle of, 204. 

Bunker Hill, battle of, 126, 127. 

Burgoyne, march of, 134 ; surrender of, 
135. 

c. 

Cabots, voyages of the, 18. 

California, capture of, by Fremont, 
181-2 ; value of, 183. 

Canada, discovery of, 20. 

Canonicus, story of, 47. 

Carolinas, the, settled by the French, 
25 ; colonization of, 78 ; war of, with 
Florida, 80; division of, 80; life in, 
84-5. 

Carriage, the motor, 243. 

Cartier, Jacques, voyages of, 20. 

Census of 1890, the, 230 ; of 1900, 236. 

Centennial Exhibition, the, 222-3. 

Cervera, Admiral, defeat of, at San- 
tiago, 236. 

Champlain, Samuel de, story of, 29-31. 

Chancellorsville, battle of, 207. 

Charleston, capture of, in the Revolu- 
tionary war, 137 ; bombardment of 
Fort Sumter at, 199 ; earthquake at, 
226. 

Charter Oak, the, 53. 


1 


11 


INDEX, 


Charter troubles, the, 52. 

Chattanooga, the battles around, 211. 

Chicago fire, the, anarchists, the, 
227. 

Chicago, the World’s Fair at, 232. 

Cities of Revolutionary times, the, 144. 

City life after the Revolution, 169. 

Civil war, description of the, 199-214. 

Clayborne’s rebellion, 69. 

Cleveland, Grover, elected President, 
226, 232. 

Colonies, growth of, 90, 121 ; industries 
of, 91 ; isolation of, 91 ; travel in, 
92 ; government and laws of, 93. 

Columbus, Christopher, story of, 12-18 

Commerce, Department of, 238. 

Commerce, interference with Ameri- 
can, 93, 155. 

Commerce of New England, 141; of 
the United States, 246. 

Concord, stores at, 122 ; English expe- 
dition against, 122-5 ; the retreat 
from, 125. 

Confederacy, the Southern, 198. 

Congress, the first Continental, 121; 
the second Continental, 127 ; after 
the Revolution, 150; the Constitu- 
tional, 151-2; Pan-American, 228. 

Connecticut, Dutch and English in, 64. 

Constitution and Guerriere, battle be- 
tw’een the, 159. 

Constitution of the United States, for- 
mation of the, 151 ; character of the, 
151-2; amendments to the, 219-20. 

Constitutional Convention, the, 150. 

Continental Congress, the first, 121; 
the second, 127. 

Copyright Bill, the, 230. 

Cornwallis, surrender of, 139. 

Cortez and Pizarro, doings of, 22. 

Cotton cultivation in the South, 170. 

Cotton-gin, invention of the, 170. 

Cuba, war in, 234-5; republic of, 237. 

Customs of the Puritans, 57-62 ; of the 
Dutch, 66-8; of the Pennsylvanians, 
74-5; of the Virginians and Caro- 
linians, 80-5; of the Georgians, 88; 
of the United States people, 167-9. 


D. 

^vis, Jefferson, President of the Con- 
federacy, 198, 203. 

Decatur, Lieutenant, exploits of, 155. 
Declaration of Independence, 12^ 


Delaware, Lord, comes to Virginia, 42. 
Delaware settled by the Swedes, 64*, 
how named, 73 ; separated from 
Pennsylvania, 74. 

Democratic part}^ the, 163, 166, 196, 
230, 232. 

Denys, John, discovery by, 19. 

De Soto, expedition of, 22-24. 

Dewxy, Admiral, victory of, at Manila, 
235. 

Drake, Sir Francis, exploits of, 24-5. 

' Duke of York, the, 65. 

Dutch ill New York, the, 63; Swedish 
settlement captured ^ by the, 64; 
houses of the, 66 ; dress and indus- 
tries of the, 68. 

Dutch settlement taken by the Eng- 
lish, 65. 

E. 

Education, in Virginia, 84; progress of, 

I in the United States, 190, 250-1. 

I Electric cable, laying of the, 240. 
i Electric cars, 243. 
i Electricity, discoveries in, 240. 
Emancipation of the slaves, 207. 

' Embargo Act, the, 156. 

I Emigration along the Ohio, 167. 

I Emigration westward, 185. 

England, first exploration from, 18; 
restrictive laws of, 93; oppressive 
edicts of, 115-20; troubles with, 156; 

! military strength of, 157. 

English colonies, the first, 28; claims 
' of the, 97. 

i English companies, the, 39; prisons,^ 
' the, 85. 

English soldiers sent to America, 119. 
Escape of Mrs. Dustin, 56. 

Exhibitions, industrial, 223, 232, 237, 
238, 247. 

F. 

j Farm life in America, 169. 

Farming industries, 141. 

I Farragut, Admiral, on the Mississippi, 

' 202 ; in Mobile Bay, 212. 

i Fillmore, Millard, becomes President, 
i 195. 

Fish culture, 250. 

Florida discovered, 21; war of, with 
Carolina, 80; with Georgia, 87 ; with 
i the United States, 163; purchase of, 
i 164. 


INDEX. 


Ill 


Fort Du Quesne, building of, 103, 104 ; ! 
expedition against, 105 ; capture of, j 

106. 

F'ort Moultrie, defence of, 128. 

Fort Necessity, 104. 

Fort Sumter, bombardment of, 199. 

France, expedition from, 19; treaty 
with, 135. 

Franklin, Benjamin, sketch of life, 
76-7 ; sent to London, 119 ; on the 
Declaration of Independence Com- 
mittee, 129; in the Constitutional 
Convention, 150 ; first Postmaster- 
General, 189. 

Fredericksburg, battle of, 204. 

Free Soil i)arty, the, 196. 

Fremont, General, takes California, 
182. 

French and Indian war, the, 104-12. 

French and Indians, wars with the, 
55-7. 

French, colonies of, in America, 25. 26, 
29; settlements of, in the West, 97; 
enterprise of, 98 ; forts of, on the 
Mississippi, 100 ; claims of, to the 
Ohio country, 101. 

Fugitive slave law, the, 195. 

Fulton, Robert, the steamboat invented 
by, 171. 

Fur trade, the, 184. 


Vicksburg, 209 ; commander-in-chief, 
210; advance of, on Richmond, 210 ; 
elected President, 220, 239. 

Greene, General, campaign of, 138. 
Growth of the colonies, 90, 122; of the 
population, 166; of the country, 185. 


H. 

Habits of the people, 145. 

Harper’s Ferry, the raid on, 197. 

Harrison, Benjamin, elected President, 
227 ; second nomination of, 231. 

Harrison, General, defeats Tecumseh, 
157 ; victory of, on the Thames, 159 ; 
elected President, 178. 

Hawaii, annexation of, 236. 

Hayes, Rutherford B., elected Presi- 
dent, 224. 

Henry, Patrick, opposes the English 
taxjition, 118. 

Hood, General, defeat of, at Nashville, 

212 . 

Hudson, Henry, discoveries of, 31-2. 


I. 


G. 

Garfield, James A., elected President, 
225 ; assassination of, 225-6. 

Georgia, settlement of, 86 ; war of, with 
Florida, 87 ; laws and industries of, 
88 . 

Germantown, battle of, 133. 

Gettysburg, battle of, 208. 

Gilbert, Sir Humphrey, voyage of, 27. 

Gold, discovered in Califi)rnia, 182; 
results of the discovery of, 183 ; specie 
payments of, resumed, 224; in Alas- 
ka, 248. 

Good feeling, the era of, 163. 

Gourgues, Dominique de, revenge of, 
07 

Government and religion of the 
Indians, 36. 

Government, “ Grand Model,” the, 78. 

Government of the Puritans, 48, 52 ; 
of Virginia, 82-3 ; of the United 
States, 151-2. 

Grant, General, in civil war, 201 ; at 


Immigration, 185, 231,245. 

Independence, Declaration of, 129 ; 
i meaning of the, 131. 

Indian raids in Virginia, 106. 

Indian Territorv, formation of the, 
179. 

Indians, named by Columbus, 16 ; first 
j battle with the, 30 ; description of 
j the, 32-7 ; of Virginia, the, 41 ; of 
New England, 47; of the South, 
179-80; disposal and education of 
the, 245. 

Indians, the Quakers and the, 76. 

Indians, wars with the, 53-57, 112, 154, 
157,178,221. 

Industries of the Puritans, 61 ; of the 
Carolinas, 79 ; of Georgia, 88 ; of the 
colonies, 91. 

Industry, restoration of, 162. 

Internal improvements, 165, 

Invention, activity of Americans in, 
188 ; progress of, 247. 

Iroquois, defeat of, by Champlain, 30 ; 
revenge of, 31. 

Irrigation in the West, 248, 


IV 


INDEX. 


J. 

Jackson, General, at New Orleans, 159- 
61; in Florida, 163; elected Presi- 
dent, 176 ; character of, 176 ; deal- 
ings of, with South Carolina, 176-7 ; 
with the United States Bank, 177. 

Jackson, Stonewall, exploits of, 204 ; 
death of, 208. 

James liiver, colony on the, 40. 

Jasper, Sergeant, daring of, 128. 

Jetferson, Thomas, writes the Declara- 
tion of Independence, 129 ; elected 
President, 154. 

John Brown raid, the, 197. 

Johnson, Andrew, becomes President, 
219 ; impeachment of, 219. 

Johnstowm disaster, the, 227. 

Jones, Captain Paul, story of, 137. 


K. 

Kansas, the troubles in, 196. 

King Philip, war with, 54 ; death of, 55. 


L. 

La Fayette, in the Revolution, 133 ; 
visit of, to America, 172. 

Lake Champlain, battle of, 159. 

Lake Erie, battle of, 158. 

liake George, battle of, 109-10. 

Landing of Columbus, the, 16. 

La Salle, story of, 99, 100. 

Laws, of Georgia, 88 ; English colonial, 
93, 116 ; evasion of, 116-17. 

Lee, General, made Confederate com- 
mander, 204 ; advances north, 204, 
208; in the Wilderness, 208, 211 ; at 
Gettysburg, 209 ; defends Richmond, 
212 ; surrender of, 214, 239. 

Lee, Richard Henry, motion for liberty 
of the colonies made by, 129. 

Leisler’s revolt, 65. 

Lewis and Clark, expedition of, 183. 

Lexington, battle of, 123. 

Lincoln, Abraham, elected President, 
197 ; emancipates the slaves, 207 ; 
assassination of, 214. 

Locke, John, plan of government of, 
78. 

Lookout Mountain, battle of, 211. 


Lord Baltimore, 69. 

Tjouisburg, capture of, 107. 

Louisiana, named by La Salle, 99 ; pur- 
chase of, 154. 


M. 

McClellan, General, besieges Rich' 
mond, 203; retreat of, 204; at An- 
tietam, 205. 

McKinley, William, elected President, 

I 234, 237 ; murder of, 237. 

Machiuery, invention of, 247. 

Madison, James, elected President, 
157. 

Magellan sails round the globe, 22. 

Maine, the sinking of the, 234. 

Manhattan Island bought by the 
Dutch, 63. 

Manila, naval victory at, 235. 

Manufactures in America, 116, 143, 
187, 246. 

Marco Polo, travels of, 12. 

I Mariner’s compass, discovery of the, 

12 . 

Marion, General, 138. 

Marquette discovers the Mississippi, 98. 

Maryland, settlement of, 69-70. 

Massachusetts Bay settlement, 47. 

' Massacre of the French colonists, 32 ; 
at Fort William Henry, 110 ; of Wyo- 
ming, 136-7. 

Massacres, Indian, in Virginia, 43 ; in 
1 New’’ England, .56. 
j Menendez, massacre by, 26-7. 

! Mexican war, the, 179-82. 

Mineral w^ealth of the United States, 

; 248. 

Mines, value of, 187, 246, 248. 

Minute-men, the, 121. 

Mississippi River discovered by De 
Soto, 23; discovered by Marquette, 
98 ; explored by La Saile, 99 ; oi>en- 
ing of the, 202, 210. 

Missouri Compromise, the, 164, 195. 

Monitor and Merrimac, the, 205, 206. 

Monroe, James, elected President’, 163. 

Montcalm, Marquis de, in command at 
Quebec, 111 ; death of, 112. 

Mormons, the, 186, 233. 

Morse’s telegraph, 188. 

Motor carriage, the, 24.3. 

Mound-builders, the, .33. 

Murfrees^>orough, battle of, 201. 


INDEX. 


V 


N. 

Narragansetts, defeat of the, 55. 

Narvaez, adventures of, 22. 

Nashville, Hood’s defeat at, 213. 

Natural gas, 250. 

Navy, the new, 24.3-4. 

Negro plot in New York, 06. 

Negroes tirst brought to America, 42. 

New England, settlement of, 45-49; 
warlike feeling in, 122 ; in arms, 124. 

New Jersey, settlement of, 74. 

New Mexico, capture of, 181. 

New Orleans, founding of, 100 ; battle 
of,’ 160-61; surrender of, 202. 

New York, discovery of, 31 ; settled by 
^the Dutch, 63 ; taken by the Eng- 
lish, 65; life in, 66-8; captured in 
the Revolutionary War, 131. 

News, carriage of, 189. 

Newspapers and books, increase of, 191. 

O. 

Oglethorpe, character of, 86 ; colony of, 
in Georgia, 86 ; later lite of, 88 ; gift 
to, from the Indians, 90. 

Ohio Comi)any, the, 101. 

Ohio River, claims to the valley of the, 

101 . 

Oregon, acquirement of, 184-5. 

P. 

Pacific States, progress of the, 248. 

Panama Canal, the, 238. 

Pan-American Congress, the, 228. 

Panic, the first business, 173; of 1837, 
177; of 1873, 221. 

Parties, in the United States, 166 ; new 
political, 196. 

Patroons, the Dutch, 68. 

Penn, William, story of, 71-73; treaty 
of, with the Indians, 72. 

Pennsylvania, settlement of, 71-3; 
life in, 74-6. 

Pension list, the, 2.30. 

People, modes of life of American, 167- 
169 ; prosperity of the, 173. 

Pequot war, the, 53-4. 

Perry,, Captain, victory of, on Lake 
Erie, 158. 

Petroleum, 249-50. 

Philadelphia, founding of, 72; de- 
scription of, 74-5; taken by the 


British, 133; evacuated by the 
British, 135. 

Philippine Islands, naval victory at 
the, 235 ; annexation of the, 236 ; war 
in the, 236. 

Pierce, Franklin, elected President, 
195. 

Pilgrims, voyage and landing of the, 
46 ; sufferings of the, 46 ; later story 
of the, 47. 

Pioneers of the South, 140; of the 
North, 167. 

Pirates of the Carol inas, the, 79. 

Pittsburg Landing, battle of, 201. 

Pizarro in Peru, 22. 

Plantations, life on the, 81. 

Plymouth Company, colony of the, 40. 

Pocahontas, the story of, 41. 

Political parties, 166, 196. 

Polk, James K., elected President, 180. 

Ponce de Imon’s expedition to Florida, 
20 - 1 . 

Pontiac, Indian war of, 112. 

Population, of the colonies, 140; in- 
crease of, 166, 185, 244. 

Populi.st l)arty, the, 234. 

Porto Rico, invasion of, 23(5. 

Postal service, the, 189, 242. 

Prisons, improvement in, 190. 

Progress of the South, 247. 

Proprietors of the C’arolinas, the, 78. 

Punishments in New Ihigland,59; in 
Virginia, 83. 

Puritan colony, the, 47-49. 

Puritans, houses of the, 57; dress and 
titles of, 58; food and laws of, 59; 
religious customs of, 60; industries 
of, 61; military customs of, 62; 
modes of travel of, 62. 

Q. 

Quadricentennial, the American, 232. 

Quakers, persecution of the, 50; de- 
scription of, 71 ; in Pennsylvania, 73 ; 
in New Jersey, 74 ; dealings with the 
Indians, 76. 

Quebec, founding of, 29; capture of, by 
Wolfe, 111-12; repulse from, 128. 


R. 

Railroad, introduction of the, 171-2. 
Railroads, in the United States, 241-2; 
usefulness of the, 242. 


VI 


INDEX. 


Raleigh, Sir Walter, colonies of, 28. 

Reciprocity in tradi', 229. 

Reconstruction of the X^nion, 219. 

Religious liberty in Rliode Island, 49 ; 
in INIaryland, 69; in Pennsylvania, 

4 O. 

Religion^ persecution in the colonies, 
49-51, 70, 84. 

Republican-Deniocratic party, the, 163. 

Republican party, the, 166, ioo. 

Revere, Paul, ride of, 123. 

Revolution, war of the, 123-39. 

Rhode Island, settlement of, 49. 

Ribault’s colony, 25. 

Rice introduced into America, 79. 

Richmond made the Confederate States 
capital, 203; besieged by McClellan, 
203 ; Grant’s advance on, 211 ; Lee’s 
retreat from, 214. 

Roosevelt, Theodore, elected Vice- 
President, 237 ; becomes President, 
237, 238. 

S. 

St. Augustine, founding of, 26. 

Salem witchcraft, the, 51. 

Santiago, battle of, 235; surrender of, 
235. 

Scott, General, victories of, in Canada, 
159 ; campaign of, in Mexico, 181. 

Seal fisheries of Alaska, 231. 

Secession of the Southern States, 198, 
199. 

Serapis, capture of the, by the Bon- 
homme Richard, 137. 

Sergeant Jasper, daring of, 128. 

Settlements in the interior, 140. 

Seven days’ fight, the, 204. 

Shays’s rebellion, 149. 

vSheridan’s ride, 212. 

Sherman, General, attacks Vicksburg, 
210 ; in command of Western army, 
211; marches through Georgia, 212; 
advances north, 213. 

Signal service, the, 240. 

Silver, legislation about, 229. 

Slave law, fugitive, 195. 

Slavery in the colonies, 92; difllculties 
about, 164, 194, 195; abolition of, 218. 

Slaves, emancipation of the, 207. 

Smith, Captain John, story of, 40-42. 

South, progress of the, 247. 

South Carolina, the Revolutionary war 
in, 138; tarift' troubles in, 176-7; 
secession of, 198; invaded by Sher- 
man, 213. 


Spain, Columbus aided by, 13; recep- 
tion of Columbus in, 17 ; cruelty of, 
in C'uba, 234 ; war of, with United 
States, 235-6. 

! Stamp Act, the, 117; repeal of, 118. 

Stan dish. Captain Miles, 46, 47,. 

I Stark, General, at Bennington, 135, 
j State Rights doctrine, the, 198. 
i States, the original, 145 ; formation of 
! new, 154, 164, 230. 

Steamboat, invention of the, 170. 

Steamship, the fir.st ocean, 171. 

Strikes of workmen, 233. 

I Swedes, settlement of. on the Delaware 
River, 64 ; Dutch capture of, 64. 


T. 

I Tariff question, the, 165, 228, 233, 

! 234. • 

I Tax on tea, the, 119-20. 

; Taxation, the dispute about, 117. 
i Taylor, General, advance of, into 
Mexico, 180 ; victory of, at Buena 
Vista, 180 ; elected President, 180, 
i 195. 

Tea, the tax on, 119-20; the refusal to 
receive, 121. 

i Telegraph, the electric, 188-9 ; length 
I of, in the United States, 240. 

I Telegraphy, wireless, 189. 

Temperance reform, the, 190. 
Territory, acquisition of, from Mexico, 
182; increase of, 183. 

Texas, La Salle’s colony in, 100 ; inde- 
pendence of, 179 ; annexed by the 
United States, 179 ; result of its an- 
nexation, 180. 

Thames, battle of the, 159. 

Thomas, General, victory of, at Nash- 
ville, 212. 

! Ticonderoga, English repulse at, 109 ; 

I capture of, 124. 

Tobacco, introduced into Europe, 28 ; 
culture of, in Virginia, 42 ; used as 
money, 81. 

Travel in the colonies, 92 ; difficulties 
of, 144 ; recent facility in, 242.” 
Treaties of ]>eace witli England, 139, 

j 161. 

I Treaty of peace with Spain, 236. 

; Tri])oii, war with, 155. 

: Tyler, John, becomes President, 178. 
Tyranny in Europe, 85; ten years of, 


ISDh'X. 


Vil 


U. I 

Uuited States Bank, tlie, 177. ' 

United States, people of, 140-1 ; farm- i 

ing population of, 141 ; commerce of. 
141-3; manufactures of, 143; trav'el 
in, 143 ; cities of, 144; extent of, 145; 
States of, 145-f). 

Utah made a State, 233. i 


V. i 

I 

Valley Forge, sutler ing of the army at, I 
134. I 

Van Buren, Martin, elected President, 
178. 

Venezuelan boundary question, the, 233. 
V^era Cruz, capture of, 181. 1 

V^errazzano, voyage of, 19. j 

Vicksburg, passing the forts at, 202 ; j 
siege and surrender of, 209. i 

Virginia, settlement of, 40 ; Ohio val- 
ley claimed by, 102; the civil war 
in, 203-9, 211-12, 214. ! 

Virginians, modes of life of the, 81-2. 
Voyage of Columbus, the, 14-10. 


W. 

War, French and Indian, 104-12; 
Kevolutionary, 123-39; second, with 
England, 157-01 ; with Mexico, 179- 
82; civil, 199-213; results of the 
civil, 217-18; Cuban, 2.34-5. 

Wars with the Indians, 53-57, 112, 154, 
157, 178, 219. 


Washington, George, early life of, 102 ; 
journey of, to the Ohio, 103; in the 
French and Indian war, 100; made 
commander-in-chief, 127 ; retreat 
from New York, 132; victory at 
Trenton, 133; at Valley Forge, 134; 
I)ursues the British, 130; at York- 
town, 138; patriotism of, 150; elected 
President, 152. 

Washington City, the burning of, 159. 

Wayne, General, capture of Stonj 
Point by, 130 ; defeat of the Western 
Indians by, 154. 

Wealth, increase of, 187-8, 246. 

West, settlements in the, 140, 154, 107; 
the war in the, 201-2, 210-11,213; 
irrigation in the, 248; mining in the, 
248. 

Whig party, the, 100. 

Whitney, Eli, invention of the cotton- 
gin by, 170. 

Wilderness, battle of the, 211, 

Williams, Koger, story of, 49. 

Wireless telegraphy, 189. 

Witchcraft, the Salem, 51. 

Wolfe, General, capture of Quebec by, 
111-12; deatli of, 112. 

World’s Fair, the Centennial. 222-3; 
the Columbian, 232. 

Wyoming, massacre of, 136-7, 


Y. 

Yellow fever in the South, 225. 
York town, the surrender of, 139. 


THE END. 










SEP U J907 




